Award Description

This award recognizes an outstanding student conference paper based on original research. 

Who Is Eligible to Submit Nominations or Apply for the Award

All student members of SAA in good standing whose paper abstract has been accepted by the SAA for the upcoming annual meeting are eligible to participate. Students also must be enrolled in an academic program in the semester when their paper is presented at the annual meeting. All co-authors must be students, and the first author must be a member of the SAA. All co-authors share the award.

Nomination/Submission Materials Required

The paper abstract must be accepted by SAA for the upcoming annual meeting. The paper must be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and 12-pt font. Please do not submit raw data unless they are to be presented as part of the paper itself. An average 15-minute paper is approximately 8 pages long (double-spaced, not including references cited). Any paper longer than this will be docked points.

The student must submit electronic copies of 1) a separate title page with name and full contact information; 2) the conference paper containing slide call outs and references; and 3) pdfs of all PowerPoint slides, with numbered captions, to be used in the oral presentation. Please DO NOT put your name anywhere besides the cover sheet so that your paper may be reviewed anonymously by the committee. Please send submissions to the committee chair.

The student must have a faculty or supervisory sponsor review the paper before the student submits it to the Student Paper Award Committee. The faculty/supervisory sponsor must send an email to the submission address at the time of paper submission saying that he/she has read and approved the paper being submitted.

Other Special Requirements

Prior to any award recommendation being finalized and publicly announced, anyone recommended for an award, scholarship, or grant will be required to certify the following:

Nature of Award (e.g. monetary, medal, symposium)

The award winner or winners receives more than $1000 worth of books and other prizes. In addition, the awardee(s) are recognized by the SAA through a plaque presented during the business meeting held at the Annual Meeting, a citation in The SAA Archaeological Record, and acknowledgment on the awards page of the SAA Website. All co-authors will receive the award. 

Past sponsors of the Award include:  

• American Cultural Resources Association
• Antiquity journal (antiquity.ac.uk)
• Archaeological Institute of America
• Berghahn Books
• Beta Analytic, Inc.
• Bruker Corporation
• Center for Applied Isotope Studies, UGA
• Center for Digital Antiquity
• Dumbarton Oaks and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography
• European Association of Archaeologists
• Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc., 
• Statistical Research, Inc.
• The University of Chicago Press Journals Division
• University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
• University Press of Florida
• University of Utah Press

The committee chair and/or members are responsible for distributing the ribbons at the meeting to the vendors who donate (as per Motion 132-74H, Board of Directors Meeting #132, October 2013). The sponsors’ names will also appear in the annual Meeting Program.

Helpful Links

• Student Paper Award Rubric 
• Before You Create a PowerPoint Presentation
  (http://desktoppub.about.com/od/microsoft/bb/powerpointrules.htm)
• Presenting with PowerPoint: 10 Dos and Don'ts
  (http://www.microsoft.com/business/en-us/resources/technology/business_software/powerpointtips.aspx?fbid=yTgtOvRHj1D)
• Creating a Professional Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation
  (http://ezinearticles.com/?Creating-a-Professional-Microsoft-PowerPointPresentation&id=166464)

Current Committee Charge

The committee solicits nominations and selects recipients for the Student Paper Award. The award is presented to recognize the best student paper presented at the SAA annual meeting. 

Committee Composition

Committee composition is one chair and at least four members.

Term Length

Term length is three years. Individuals ending their terms cycle off the committee at the close of the Business Meeting held during the annual SAA Meeting, and new appointees begin their terms at this time. 

Award Cycle

N/A 

Committee Chair and End of Term

Jacob Holland-Lulewicz [2027] 

Committee Chair Contact Information

[email protected]

Committee Members and Ends of Terms

Selection or Evaluation Criteria

Committee members evaluate papers anonymously, scoring them on the 1) quality of the arguments presented, 2) quality of supporting data, 3) contribution to broader methodological or theoretical issues in archaeology, 4) contribution to understanding a specific region or topic, 5) quality of writing, paper structure and length, and 6) quality, appropriateness and number of graphics for a 15-minute oral presentation. 

Committee Deliberation Process (e.g. dates, venue)

The committee meets electronically after the submission deadline has passed. An Honorable Mention(s) may be recognized if the committee chooses to do so.