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 in September at the 2025 ASHA conference in Devonport, Tasmania and will be published on the ASHA website and our social media platforms.
All submissions for the 2025 awards must be received by Friday 1 August 2025. Work on nominations must have been completed at the time of submission. For theses, they must have been awarded in the last two years. Publications in the last 5 years.
ASHA Awards 2025
The ASHA awards for 2025 include the following categories:
- R. Ian Jack Award for Best Honours/Masters (MA) Thesis
- Maureen Byrne Award for Best PhD Thesis
- Judy Birmingham Award for Best Historical Archaeology Heritage Report
- Martin Davies Award for Best Public Archaeology Initiative
- Graham Connah Award for Publication
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 Ian Jack Award for the Best Honours /coursework masters (MA) thesis, we encourage the nomination 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 or provide other evidence of support) 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); and
- Entries for the student categories must be from students enrolled at a university in Australia, 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 coordinator [email protected] by Friday 1 August 2025;
- 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; and
- The winning entries will be announced in September at the 2025 ASHA conference in Devonport, Tasmania.
Judging Panel and Award Decision
The nominations for all the awards will be 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 the submissions and provide 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 ASHA 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 coordinator 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 with anyone other than other members of the judging panel unless agreed to by the ASHA Awards coordinator.
The judges may also decide to not identify a winner if the panel determines that the submissions do not reach the required standards. The final decision to not award a prize, in any of the categories, will rest with the ASHA President. There are no appeals process or review.
Award Presentation
Award winners will be announced in September at the 2025 ASHA conference in Devonport, Tasmania. The winner/s will also 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 2025 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 2024-2025 for presentation in 2025). 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 2023-2025 for presentation in 2025). 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 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 2023-2025 for presentation in 2025). 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 2023-2025 for presentation in 2025). 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 the relevant website.
Nominations will be judged based on interest to the intended audience, clarity of presentation, innovation, and public response.
ASHA Graham Connah Award for Best Publication
This award will be made for the best book on historical archaeology. Digital and/or printed works are welcome. Nominations may be for authored monographs or edited collections on a single theme. Works published by ASHA are not eligible. The publication must have been published within five calendar years preceding the presentation of the award in 2025 (i.e. 2020 onwards). The publication can be nominated by any member of ASHA including the author(s).
The entrant must supply a digital copy of the book, access to a digital copy of the book, or three hard copies.
The award will consist of publicity on the ASHA web site and social media platforms. In addition, the successful award winner will be provided with an electronic ASHA badge suitable for inclusion on their website, email and assistance with preparing the material for an article in AHA.
Nominations will be judged based on timeliness and significance of the research, accuracy of information, clarity of expression, presentation, and general contribution to the field of historical archaeology.