2024 Shortlist

Long Melford Heritage Trust, Long Meflord C of E Primary School

Over 70 students from Long Melford Church of England Primary School started the new academic year gaining hands-on involvement with an archaeological dig in the school grounds. This unique excavation experience has been organised by members of the Long Melford Heritage Trust Archaeological Team who prepared the site – on the school’s playing field - over the summer.

York Archaeology

Kids Dig York is a project aimed at children aged 8-12, led by professional archaeologists from York Archaeology. During each 3-hour session, children, accompanied by parents/guardians, get hands-on experience of real archaeological fieldwork in a trench at Willow House, just within the City Walls near Walmgate Bar.

Organisational leads: Sarah Scott, Heritage Partnerships Development Director/Professor of Archaeology, University of Leicester (UoL), Jeremy Taylor, Fieldwork coordinator, School of Archaeology and Ancient History (SAAH) University of Leicester, Ben Donnelly-Symes, Northants Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC) Curator, Jack Pishhorn, General Manager, The Chester House Estate /Strategic Lead Culture, Heritage and Tourism, North Northants Council (NNC). Other team members play a lead role in the design and delivery of activities, including a core team from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), volunteers, collaborators (including Adam Sutton at Aurelius Archaeology and Creating Tomorrow College, based at the Chester House Estate) and students

An innovative collaboration between North Northants Council (at the Chester House Estate) and the University of Leicester, inspiring and empowering people of all ages to engage in life-enhancing opportunities focused on the small Roman town of Irchester, and the rich archaeology and heritage of the Nene Valley.

Cadw, Think Creatively and Manchester Metropolitan University

GWREIDDIAU (Roots) is the 10th year anniversary of the Bryn Celli Ddu public archaeology project. It is a cross-disciplinary, outdoor arts and heritage project; an opportunity to respond to the Bryn Celli Ddu passage tomb through archaeological excavation, folklore and performance; exploring its histories and ritual using a contemporary lens.

The Scottish Crannog Centre

The Scottish Crannog Centre is an open-air museum in Perthshire with a mission to care for and make accessible the finds of Scottish Crannog dwellers for the benefit, enjoyment, education and inspiration of all.

Portland Museum

‘Diving into the Digital Archives of the Earl of Abergavenny’ was a project designed to develop digital skills amongst volunteers in the heritage sector. Portland Museum used the archaeological finds from the ‘Earl of Abergavenny’ shipwreck to train volunteers in digital recording techniques and create a publicly accessible digital archive.

Emily Wapshott, Archaeologists Engage

The Dig the Castle Project aimed to explore Torrington’s little-understood motte and bailey castle. This project exemplified community involvement, with over 100 adults participating in the excavation and an open day attracting over 200 visitors. Additionally, more than 150 children engaged through school visits and activities.

Wessex Archaeology

In 1963 a small-scale archaeological excavation took place on the site of HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire when it was a different institution. During this dig items were found dating back to the Bronze Age. Sixty years on, a team from Wessex Archaeology collaborated with the prison to undertake an archaeological project with a difference. Designed to explore the impact of archaeology and heritage on the well-being of the men from the category C HMP Erlestoke prison. The men were given agency to contribute to every step of the archaeology programme

RCAHMW and Dyfed Archaeological Trust (Heneb)

The Pendinas Hillfort Project was created in response to the desire of members of the Penparcau community to learn more about their hillfort, a prominent landmark in the village, to encourage more visitors to discover its archaeology and wildlife, and to see the monument better maintained.

The Scottish Crannog Centre

The Scottish Crannog Centre has built a new museum, using locally sourced materials, local skills, and developing and sustaining local resources. In under 3 years we open our doors to the public with a new museum, built by a community, designed by and for the communities we serve – local schools, local charities and organisations, apprentices, refugee groups, mental health groups, our partners, and by MGS, HES and others.

University of Exeter 

Fair Game demonstrates how archaeological research can provide solutions to contemporary challenges. Fair Game articulates medieval-style principles and archaeological evidence of fallow deer management, processing and venison redistribution, to transform public understanding and sector partnerships and approaches to deer management, creating positive outcomes for biodiversity, climate action and food justice.

Anna is an ever-curious archaeologist, artist, and photographer, from Cumberland.  

With her photos featuring globally and working in a Roman drain, she co-published “Artefacts from a Roman Drain” at 22.  

Writing another book to Muppets’ Christmas Carol and Taylor Swift, she cares for animals (including hamster “Moto-moto”) and Etsy shop Felted Fancies.   

Growing up in the West Midlands, Laurie followed education through to Masters level. Being first in her family to gain a degree, she went from University to working as a supply teacher. Following a Masters in Archaeology, Laurie moved to commercial archaeology as an Archaeologist with Headland.  

Rosie completed her undergraduate degree in Archaeology and Anthropology in 2019, her Masters in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology in 2021, and began working in academic archaeology in 2022.  

Kieran is a Project Officer at Archaeology Scotland where he leads a number of projects including New Audiences. Kieran studied archaeology and history at the University of Glasgow before undertaking a Masters in Conflict Archaeology. He is passionate about the difference archaeology can make to peoples’ lives and their communities.  

Steph is a PhD Candidate at Durham University, specialising in the South East Arabian Iron Age. She is from Sydney, and has an MA in Archaeology from Durham University (2021-22) and a Bachelors in Archaeology and Anthropology from Macquarie University (2015-17), minoring in Ancient History, Greece, Rome and Late Antiquity. 

Stephanie Black

'Sad Girl Archaeology is a digital initiative focused on democratising archaeological knowledge through social media platforms. It shifts the narrative from purely academic interpretations to a more emotive and accessible understanding of archaeology.

MOLA-Headland Infrastructure (MHI) for National Highways

The A14 scheme is amongst the largest archaeological investigations ever undertaken in the UK. The work covered 232ha and revealed spectacular results, from Pleistocene woolly mammoths to a deserted medieval village. The ambitious post-excavation programme resulted in over 220 outputs aimed at diverse audiences, while the community outreach programme has reached a potential audience of millions.

Cambridge Archaeological Unit

The Late Bronze Age pile-dwelling settlement at Must Farm is one of the most important and best-preserved prehistoric sites to have been systematically excavated in Europe. This comprehensive and methodologically innovative investigation provides unprecedented insights into daily life and domestic practice in Bronze Age society.

Rosie Rhianna Crawford

JustALittleRoo is a free, online access and outreach platform, designed to demystify the transition to higher education as a lower income student, and widen participation in archaeology and related fields. Since 2016, JustALittleRoo has provided free, internationally available careers resources, research tips, insider-views of archaeology and mini-lectures on archaeological topics.

Dr Sharon Webb OBE, Director and Lead Curator at Kilmartin Museum

Following a £7.8M redevelopment, Kilmartin Museum’s new Permanent Exhibition offers visitors of all ages a fascinating and engaging insight into the lives of people who inhabited one of Scotland’s most significant archaeological landscapes across 12,000 years. Showcasing a Nationally Significant collection, it features artefacts from Kilmartin Glen and across Argyll

University of York and York Museums Trust

An accessible and sensory exhibition on the site of Star Carr was co-curated in order to tell the story of what life was like for people living at this important Mesolithic site. This has been accompanied by activities including the building of a Mesolithic house in the museum gardens.