Scope
-
The Judges will assume a broad definition of digital preservation: projects which describe themselves with specialist terms like ‘conservation’, ‘continuity’, ‘curation’, ‘legacy’, ‘permanent accessibility’, ‘sustainment’ or ‘sustainability’ will be eligible so long as they can demonstrate that they are working towards a sustainable future for our digital assets. Typically, digitization projects will not be eligible unless they offer a specific deliverable that will improve long term access to the digital estate. The Judges’ decision will be final, and no discussion will be entered into.
Deadline
-
There will be no extensions to the deadline.
Who can apply?
-
The awards are open to all. They seek to include entries from all organization types, across all sectors – public, private, for-profit, and non-profit and nominees do not need to be members of the DPC. The awards are international in scope and the project may have been carried out anywhere in the world; Judges will be looking to see how results and lessons learned are being shared with the wider digital preservation community so that they may also learn from the efforts undertaken. Nominations must be supported by senior management within your institution and nominations based on an external grant or commission should be supported by the grant giving agency or commissioning agent. Joint nominations are welcome from individuals or teams working in the public or private sectors, though a single point of contact must be agreed. There is no fee to enter the Digital Preservation Awards.
Do I need support from my manager?
-
Yes. The purpose of the Digital Preservation Awards is about raising awareness about digital preservation. By seeking the approval of management, we are asking you to undertake a modest amount of internal advocacy. For the purposes of the student award, the course convener or head of department is effectively the senior manager. Please address your letter of Support to the Judging Panel.
Why is there a timeframe?
-
The Awards are given for initiatives that were completed between 1st August 2022 and 31st July 2024 which is the period since the last Digital Preservation Awards, though Judges will be asked to use their discretion in the admittance of nominations which have been completed outside that period. NB: although the completion date should fall between the dates given, work may have begun at any date.
What can we submit?
-
Any project or initiative which has contributed towards a sustainable future for our digital assets. By ‘project’ we mean any sustained and unified effort that works towards a discrete and definitive outcome. This might include the development and delivery of innovative services or a single program of work. Pilot projects and full-scale projects can be submitted though nominees may wish to signal the relationship between them. Combinations of projects which happen to operate in the same sphere, but which have no structural linkage should be avoided and large or complex projects are encouraged to concentrate on specific deliverables which can be more readily understood. Small projects with modest outcomes are particularly encouraged to apply because impact will be assessed in proportion to the total resource expended.
Will you supply travel grants?
-
Where necessary we will provide a contribution towards travel for two participants to attend the ceremony. Nominees wishing to attend the iPres Conference must register for this separately, fees for attending the conference will not be covered.
Will you give feedback about our nomination?
-
Yes. All nominees get feedback from the Judges and shortlisted candidates will also receive feedback from their peers gathered from the public vote. The feedback will always be constructive, and the Judges encourage nominees to append these comments to their professional and organizational CVs.
Can we promote the fact that we have submitted a nomination, been shortlisted or have won an award?
-
Yes, we actively encourage you to do so. Where possible we will help you by providing supportive quotes or photography and will make time for press calls. The awards are run to engage the widest possible community in digital preservation, so we call on everyone interested in the awards to help raise their profile.
Can I ask your advice about completing my nomination form?
-
Yes, but we reserve the right to publish that advice on the FAQ section of the Digital Preservation Awards Website to ensure that any points of clarification are available to all. We will keep such advice anonymous. There is a comment function on the FAQ section of the website that you can use to ask questions.
Can I nominate someone for the DPC Fellowship Award?
-
DPC members will be formally invited to submit their nominations for the Fellowship Award with the online vote in June 2024. In response to this invitation, members should include their nominations as part of the voting card, or email their nominations to sarah.middleton@dpconline.org and we will collate a list for the Judges’ consideration in July. At this stage, the Judges will also submit their own nominations if not already made and a winner will be decided by the Judges only, from this list. The winner of the Fellowship Award will be decided upon by the Judging Panel from this list of names.
Did this page answer your question?
If not, email sarah.middleton@dpconline.org or add your question to the comments below...