PRESS RELEASE: EMBARGOED UNTIL 17:00 hrs 14 July 2014
The winners of the 2014 British Archaeological Awards were announced today at an exclusive awards ceremony, compèred by Loyd Grossman, Chair of the Heritage Alliance, and Dan Snow, President of the Council for British Archaeology at the British Museum.
British archaeologists are world leaders in the field, and the event showcased the very latest findings and expertise in British archaeology and celebrated our achievements.
A discretionary award for Outstanding Achievement in Archaeology was presented by Council for British Archaeology President Dan Snow to legendary archaeologist Beatrice de Cardi, first Secretary of the Council for British Archaeology and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday. The Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey presented the Best Community Engagement Archaeology Project to The SCAPE Trust for their Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk Project (SCHARP).
Award winners and highly commended entries included projects, publications, broadcasts and presentations as well as the use of innovation in approach, methodology and process. Entries were judged by independent panels made up of leading experts from across the archaeology field in the UK, including both professional and voluntary sectors.
The 2014 Awards were presented to:
BEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT
Bloomberg London, (MOLA) Museum of London Archaeology
BEST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT
Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk Project (SCHARP), The SCAPE Trust
BEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL BOOK
Interpreting the English Village, Mick Aston and Chris Gerrard, Windgather Press, published by Oxbow Books
BEST PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF ARCHAEOLOGY
New Secrets of the Terracotta Warriors, A Lion Television and Medialab co-production for Channel 4
BEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL INNOVATION
The SCAPE Trust with WildKnowledge / ShoreUPDATE (Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk Project), Sites at Risk Map web portal and app
Established in 1976 as an independent charity and now in their 38th year, the Awards encompass five awards and a discretionary award for outstanding achievement. Their aim is to advance public education in the study and practice of archaeology in all its aspects in the United Kingdom, and in particular by the granting of awards for excellence and/or initiative.
The ceremony marked the launch of the two-week long 24th Festival of Archaeology with over 1000 public hands-on events, many free, giving everyone the chance to get involved in archaeology across the UK.
Notes for Editors
1 The British Archaeological Awards aim to advance public education in the study and practice of archaeology in all its aspects in the United Kingdom and in particular the granting of awards for excellence or other appropriate reasons.
Our mission is for the awards to be recognised and valued by archaeologists, those they work with and the wider public to facilitate and celebrate good practice in archaeology, raise the profile of the discipline and contribute to a greater recognition of the academic, social, environmental and public relations value of archaeology.
2 The British Archaeological Awards take place every two years and are managed by an independent charity chaired by Deborah Williams of English Heritage and trustees from across the archaeology profession. The 2014 Awards sponsors are: The Robert Kiln Trust, The Society of Antiquaries of London, The British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme, English Heritage, the Institute for Archaeologists, Archtools, Historic Scotland, Cadw, and Glasgow Museums.
3 The five main Awards are given to recognise aspects of archaeology from the last two years which have been nominated by the archaeological community, and have been independently judged by panels of experts from across the archaeology sector:
The Chairs of the Judging Panels for the 2014 entries were:
Best Archaeological Project: Prof. Roger Mercer OBE
Best Community Archaeology Project: Peter Liddle
Best Archaeological Book: Christopher Catling
Best Public Representation of Archaeology: Dr Sara Perry
Best Archaeological Innovation: Roger Thomas
4 The Awards ceremony was held 14 July 2014 by invitation only at the British Museum and is a central event in the archaeological calendar. It also marked the start of the CBA Festival of Archaeology, coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology with over 1000 events taking place across the UK from 12-27 July organised by museums, heritage organisations, national and country parks, universities, local societies, and community archaeologists. Media contact: Louise Ennis 01904 671 417
www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk twitter @FestofArch Facebook.com/archaeology.for.all
5 Winners were announced to invited media at the ceremony and were published on the website of the British Archaeological Awards following the ceremony: www.archaeologicalawards.org.uk
6 Photographs of the shortlisted entries can be downloaded or requested from:
Awards’ Administrator:
Tel: 01992 554962
Email: robertkilntrust@btconnect.com
7 A representative of the British Archaeological Awards is available for
interview on request. Contact Louise Ennis tel: office 01904 671417; 07709 353741
8 www.archaeologicalawards.org.uk
twitter @BAAWARDSUK Facebook.com/baawards ENDS