This award celebrates significant collaboration across institutional, professional, sectoral and geographical boundaries which have had a demonstrable and positive impact on digital preservation. The award includes a cash prize of £1000, a trophy and certificates.
Meet the finalists:
From Basement to Citizen: An Integrated Approach to the Digitisation, Preservation and Access to Environmental Permits
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Nominees: Sofie Ruysseveldt and Ruben Van Driessche (Digital Archives Flanders) This initiative provides local authorities in Flanders (Belgium) with a practical blueprint for managing environmental permit files in a fully digital way. By combining a framework agreement for digitisation with sustainable archiving and access, it treats digitisation, preservation and reuse as one coherent chain. Through direct integration between permit management software and the Digital Archives Flanders (DAV) E‑depot, archiving is embedded in daily administrative processes (archiving by design). Using shared services and existing Flemish digital building blocks, the project reduces complexity for local authorities while ensuring reliable preservation and accessible permit information for public servants, citizens and other stakeholders. |
Future Nostalgia: Safeguarding the knowledge of floppy disks
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Nominee: Leontien Talboom (Cambridge University Library) Future Nostalgia: Safeguarding the knowledge of floppy disks grew out of practical challenges encountered while working directly with legacy media at Cambridge University Library. Faced with limited guidance and uncertainty around best practice, the project set out to capture and share the knowledge needed to work confidently with floppy disks. Through collaboration with practitioners, conservators, and retro-computing communities, it developed the open-access Copy That Floppy! Guide. The project brings together hands-on experience, community knowledge, and experimentation to support others facing similar challenges, helping ensure that the data stored on obsolete media can still be preserved and accessed. |
IIM Africa Digital Preservation Capacity Building and Collaboration Initiative
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Nominees: Institute of Information Management (IIM) Africa The Institute of Information Management (IIM) Africa has advanced digital preservation across Africa through large-scale training, certification, and cross-border collaboration. By integrating digital archiving, data governance, and data protection into professional development programs, IIM has equipped professionals and institutions with the skills to safeguard digital assets for long-term access. Through partnerships spanning multiple countries and sectors, the initiative has strengthened capacity, supported policy development, and enabled sustainable digital preservation practices in emerging economies, addressing critical gaps in digital continuity and information resilience. |
