The next deadline for the UG Dissertation prize is the 1st September 2024, the PG Dissertation prize is the 15 the December 2024. 

The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology offers two annual prizes for dissertations from British and Irish universities, one for undergraduate and one for postgraduate dissertations, on the subject of the post-medieval archaeology of Britain, Europe and the wider world, from c.1500 to the present day. The aim of the prizes is to encourage new research in the field of post-medieval archaeology in British and Irish universities.

The deadline for the 2023 Undergraduate Dissertation Prize is 1st September 2024. Dissertations submitted for an undergraduate degree awarded in the 2021-2022 academic year are eligible for nomination. The prize is £250, free membership of the Society for one year, and a conference bursary for the year of the award.

The deadline for the 2024 Postgraduate Dissertation Prize is 15th December 2024. Dissertations submitted for a TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE* degree awarded in the 2022-2023 academic year are eligible for nomination. The prize is £250, free membership of the Society for one year, and a conference bursary for the year of the award. 

We invite UK and Irish University and College departments to nominate one dissertation each for each of the Dissertation Prizes. Submissions from individual students are not accepted. For further information, please contact the prize co-ordinator.

To nominate dissertations in either category, through either postal or electronic format, please contact the prize co-ordinator Dr. Erki Russow, prizes@spma.org.uk. Nomination forms will be emailed to enquirers and arrangements made for submission.

* Taught Postgraduate degrees are those equivalent to a standard English taught MA/MSc (generally year-long courses where the dissertation is one part of a larger taught component, i.e. excluding MRes degrees); this would include Scottish MPhil degrees. Please contact the prize-coordinator if there are any doubts regarding eligibility.