The search for the very best work in digital preservation has begun again this year, with the launch of the Digital Preservation Awards 2022 as part of the Digital Preservation Coalition's 20th Anniversary celebrations!
Organized by the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) every two years, the prestigious Digital Preservation Awards is the most prominent celebration of achievement for those people and organisations who have made significant contributions towards a sustainable future for our digital assets.
Marking 20 years since its foundation in 2022, this year the DPC will offer a special award for the most substantial and impactful digital preservation initiative since the start of 2002, and the exciting process will culminate in a presentation at the iPres 2022 Conference on Monday 12th September.
WATCH THE DPA2022 CEREMONY LIVE STREAM HERE
Find out more about the Digital Preservation Awards 2022 Finalists
In 2020, the Digital Preservation Awards saw nominations and winners from around the world, with the NDSA’s Levels of Digital Preservation Revision Project being presented with the inaugural Award for Collaboration and Cooperation. And, developed to accompany the NDSA’s Levels, the spin-off Levels of Born Digital Access also took the prize for Research and Innovation.
The International Council on Archives’ Digital Records Curation Programme won the Award for Teaching and Communications while Lotte Wijsman who had studied at the University of Amsterdam to produce her report on The Significant Properties of Spreadsheets: Stakeholder Analysis was presented with the Award for the Most Distinguished Student Work in Digital Preservation.
The works of the UNHCR Records and Archives was recognised through the Award for the Most Outstanding Digital Preservation Initiative in Commerce, Industry and the Third Sector and the British Library’s UK Web Archive: celebrating 15 years took home the Award for Safeguarding the Digital Legacy. And the Digital Preservation Awards 2022 were concluded with huge applause at the award of the DPC Fellowship to Micky Lindlar.
Top Row (L-R): Patricia Sleeman and Monserrat Canela, UNHCR; Participants of the International Council on Archives Digital Records Curation Programme; Bradley Daigle, NDSA Levels of Digital Preservation; Lotte Wijsman. Bottom Row (L-R): Brian Dietz, Levels of Born Digital Access; Micky Lindlar; Nicola Bingham, UK Web Archive.
“Winning the Dutch Digital Heritage Network Award for Teaching and Communications in 2020 meant we could commission alumni from the Digital Records Curation Programme summer schools to facilitate more online training based on the programme’s teaching materials,” explains Margaret Crockett, Training Officer for the ICA. “It is great to see the prize money being put to such good use and to be able to build on the work of the project and truly build digital record keeping capacity, not only in Africa but beyond.”
Finalists and winners of the Digital Preservation Awards often enjoy a greater profile, with individuals and organisations finding themselves in a much stronger position for further funding and future development.
Bradley Daigle, who represents the NDSA Levels of Digital Preservation which won the 2020 the International Council on Archives Award for Collaboration and Cooperation, agreed adding: “Since winning at the Digital Preservation Awards, the NDSA Levels have been translated into eight different languages! That is pretty amazing since the previous version had only a couple. In my opinion, it demonstrates the impact of the Award to the global community of practice—so much so that a great number of practitioners thought that translating could have a deeper impact.”
In 2022, the Digital Preservation Awards offers:
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The DPC 20th Anniversary Award: which celebrates a continuing, substantial and impactful contribution to the digital preservation community in any form, over the last 20 years.
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Award for Collaboration and Cooperation: which celebratessignificant collaboration across institutional, professional, sectoral and geographical boundaries which have had a demonstrable and positive impact on digital preservation.
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The Award for Research and Innovation: which recognizes excellence in practical research and innovation activities.
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The Award for Teaching and Communications: which recognizes excellence in outreach, training and advocacy.
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The Award for the Most Distinguished Student Work in Digital Preservation: which encourages and recognizes student work in digital preservation.
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The Award for Safeguarding the Digital Legacy: which celebrates the practical application of preservation tools to protect at-risk digital objects.
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The Award for the Most Outstanding Digital Preservation Initiative in Commerce, Industry and the Third Sector: which encourages and recognizes the adoption of digital preservation tools and approaches in an organization that is not explicitly a memory institution.
Entry to the Digital Preservation Awards 2022 is free and open to all organisations and individuals.
Winners receive a trophy, certificates and a £1000 cash prize, except for the Award for the Most Distinguished Student Work in Digital Preservation which offers a travel grant covering the costs of attendance at an international conference in 2023.
Find out more about how to enter below, and submit your nomination before the deadline of 0800 (UTC) on Monday 25th April 2022