About the Awards
The Archaeological Achievement Awards showcase the best in UK and Irish archaeology and are a central event in the archaeological calendar. They encompass five Awards and an overall outstanding achievement award, celebrating every aspect of archaeology and its contribution to society and environmental sustainability.
The purpose of the Awards is to advance public education in the study and practice of archaeology in all its aspects in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Judging Panel
The Archaeological Achievement Awards are coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and overseen by a judging panel made up of representatives from across the sector.
- James Kyle - Chair of Judges - Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland
- Laura Hampden - Vice-Chair of Judges - European Society of Black and Allied Archaeologists (ESBAA)
- Aidan O'Sullivan - University College Dublin
- James Cole - UAUK
- Fiona Gale - Representing community archaeology groups
- Mike Greene - CBA Cymru/CBA Wales
- John Lawson - ALGAO
- Carenza Lewis - University of Lincoln
- Kevin Booth - Society for Museum Archaeology
- Phil Richardson - Archaeology Scotland
- Kayt Hawkins - Research Institute for Equality in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (REACH)
- RESCUE
- CIfA
- Penny Bickle - Royal Archaeological Institute
The Awards are committed to recognising significant contributions to the knowledge and the importance of research, to professional standards and excellence, the involvement of local communities, the effective dissemination and presentation of archaeological knowledge, and a focus on more sustainable approaches.
In recent years, the Awards were taken over by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA). They will now celebrate archaeology from across the United Kingdom and the island of Ireland and the awards name has been updated to the Archaeological Achievement Awards to reflect this. Alongside the name change the award categories have been revised in order to better reflect the diverse work being undertaken by professional and volunteer archaeologists.
A Brief History
Previously known as ‘The British Archaeological Awards’, the Awards were launched in 1976, with a focus on celebrating community archaeology. The Awards have evolved since then, with a changing cast of sponsors and a changing set of categories, but always with the aim of promoting archaeology to a wider audience.
The Awards were previously biennial, with a ceremony every two years, and were run for many years by an independent charity. In 2019, the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) agreed to take on the running of the Awards, with the support of a steering group representing the breadth of the archaeological sector. Relaunched in 2021, as the Archaeological Achievement Awards (AAA), the Awards have a new set of categories and cover the whole of the UK and Republic of Ireland.