Rules and Guidelines

ASHA members are invited to nominate recent work for consideration in the ASHA Awards program. The ASHA Awards program aims to promote excellence in historical archaeology in Australasia by recognising best practice in the heritage management of historical archaeology; promoting the communication of archaeological results to the public; and rewarding outstanding research by students. The winners will be announced during National Archaeology Week in May 2023 and will be published on the ASHA web site and our social media platforms.

All submissions for the 2023 awards must be received by March 8, 2023 and the work must have been completed, or for thesis awarded in the last two years.

ASHA Awards 2023

The ASHA awards for 2023 include the following categories:

Entry Criteria

  • Nominations can be made by the author(s) as well as any external party (government archaeologists, university researchers, students, consultants, clients for a project and any ASHA member). For the ASHA Ian Jack Award for the Best Honours /coursework masters (MA) thesis and the Maureen Byrne Award for Best Postgraduate Thesis we encourage the nomination to be made by the student’s university supervisor.
  • For commercial projects (e.g. Judy Birmingham Award for Best Historical Archaeology Heritage Report) the entry should be supported by the client (they must co-sign the submission form) unless the project or report is publicly available.
  • Entries must be in the field of Historic Archaeology conducted in Australia, New Zealand or neighbouring areas (including The Pacific).
  • Entries for the student categories must be from students enrolled at a university in Australia or New Zealand or Asia Pacific or enrolled at an overseas university with an Australasian historical archaeological topic.

Submission Process

  • Download and complete this PDF entry form.
  • Submit the completed entry form and email to the ASHA Awards Co-ordinator [email protected] by 8 March 2022.
  • The ASHA awards co-ordinator will liaise with the ASHA Secretary to determine eligibility and a Dropbox link will be provided to submit the report/thesis.
  • The judging panel will be notified of the successful submission and will conduct their review.
  • The winning entries will be announced during National Archaeology Week, 21-27 May 2023.

Judging Panel and Award Decision

The nominations for all the awards will judged by a selection of academic archaeologists, consultants from both Australia and New Zealand, and representatives from relevant government departments.

The judges will have four to six weeks to review each entry and submit the assessment form with the result of their deliberations. A judge will inform the awards co-ordinator if they are unable to complete the review within the specified time to allow for alternative arrangements to be made. The judges may be required to liaise with the other judges about their final decision and to agree on a winning entry for each category. The Chair (ASHA Executive member) will cast the deciding vote in instances of a tie or indecision.

The position as an awards judge has no financial or other renumeration.

Judges must declare any potential or actual conflict of interest in any of the projects and/or research submitted for review. This must be in writing to the Awards Co-ordinator and in such circumstances a judge may be replaced for the assessment of the project, report or thesis for which they have a conflict of interest, perceived or actual. Judges cannot delegate any part of the judging process to any other party or discuss the submission anyone other than other members of the judging panel unless agreed to by the ASHA Awards Co-ordinator.

The judges may also decide to award no nominees if it was determined that the submissions do not reach the required standards. The final decision to award no submission in any of the categories will rest with the ASHA President. There is no appeals process or review.

Award Presentation

Award winners will be announced during National Archaeology Week, 21-27 May 2023. The winner/s will be notified directly by the ASHA President. The details of the winning entrants will be posted on the ASHA website, the respective university notified, client and the government agency where the report was prepared.

ASHA Awards Categories 2023 and Prizes

ASHA Ian Jack Award for Best Honours or Masters Thesis

This award will be made to the best thesis completed by an Honours student or Masters student. To be eligible for this award the thesis must have been completed and approved by the university the 2 years prior to the award presentation (i.e. in 2021-2022 for presentation in 2023). The submission must be a digital file.

The award will consist of a cash prize of $500.

Nominations will be judged based on timeliness and significance of the research aims, innovativeness of the research, appropriateness and effectiveness of methodology, accuracy of information, presentation, and general contribution to the field of historical archaeology.

ASHA Maureen Byrne Award for Best PhD Thesis

This award will be made for the best thesis completed by a PhD student. To be eligible for this award the degree must have been awarded in the past 2 years prior to the to the award presentation (i.e. in 2021-2022 for presentation in 2023). The submission must be a digital file.

The award will consist of a cash prize of $500, two years membership of ASHA and mentoring to assist towards the publication of the thesis in the ASHA monograph series.

Nominations will be judged based on timeliness and significance of the research aims, innovativeness of the research, appropriateness and effectiveness of methodology, accuracy of information, presentation, and general contribution to the field of historical archaeology.

ASHA Judy Birmingham Award for Best Historical Archaeology Heritage Report

This award will be made for the best report on a historical archaeology project. To be eligible for this award the report must have been completed in the 2 years prior to the to the award presentation (i.e. in 2019-2021 for presentation in 2022). The submission must be a digital file.

For commercial reports, the entry is required to have the support of the commissioning agent (see nomination form) unless the report is publicly available.

The award will consist of publicity on the ASHA web site and social media platforms and an electronic ASHA badge suitable for inclusion on their company website.

Nominations will be judged based on the significance of the research design and methodology, innovation, presentation and completion of statutory requirements.

ASHA Martin Davies Award for Best Public Archaeology Initiative

This award will be made for the best project presenting historical archaeology to the general public. The project must have been completed within the two years prior to the award (i.e. in 2019-2021 for presentation in 2022). Public archaeology initiatives may include (but are not limited to) tours of excavations, post-excavation interpretation on site, lecture series, television or radio programs, web sites, social media, museum displays, education programs, and plain language publications intended for a non-academic audience.

The entrant must supply a digital copy of the work itself (in the case of plain-language publications) or an outline of the project, event or work, along with relevant supporting material. This may include (but is not limited to) a survey of visitors’ responses, photographs or video of the event or installation, or links to a web site.

The award will consist of a certificate and publicity on the ASHA website and social media platforms. In addition, the successful award winner will be provided with an ASHA badge suitable for inclusion on their company website.

Nominations will be judged based on interest to the intended audience, clarity of presentation, innovation, and public response.