The Digital Preservation Awards celebrate the excellence and innovation that will help to secure our digital legacy.
They were created in 2004 to raise awareness about digital preservation, providing a rare opportunity to engage in some high-profile advocacy, articulating nuanced messages about how and why one might engage in digital preservation. They enable the DPC to endorse and celebrate outstanding work which may go unrecognized by other communities and which may be little known among the senior managers of the agencies undertaking this work.
In its early iterations (2004, 2005, 2007 and 2010) the DPC sponsored a single award under the auspices of the Conservation Awards. In 2012, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Coalition, the DPC organized the Digital Preservation Awards under its own mandate, offering 3 awards – an award for teaching and communications, an award for research and innovation, and a special tenth anniversary award for outstanding contribution to digital preservation. In 2014 a further 2 awards were offered and in 2016 the DPC Fellowship was offered for the first time.
In 2018 the DPC again offers awards in 5 categories, alongside a sixth - ‘Fellowship’ Award:
- The Software Sustainability Institute Award for Research and Innovation which recognizes excellence in practical research and innovation activities. The award includes a cash prize of £1000, a trophy and certificates.
- The DPC Award for Teaching and Communications, recognizing excellence in outreach, training and advocacy. The award includes a cash prize of £1000, a trophy and certificates.
- The National Records of Scotland Award for the Most Distinguished Student Work in Digital Preservation, encouraging and recognizing student work in digital preservation. The prize includes attendance at an international conference, a trophy and a certificate.
- The National Archives Award for Safeguarding the Digital Legacy, which celebrates the practical application of preservation tools to protect at-risk digital objects. The award includes a cash prize of £1000, a trophy and certificates.
- The Open Data Institute Award for the Most Outstanding Digital Preservation Initiative in Commerce, Industry and the Third sector, encouraging and recognizing the adoption of digital preservation tools and approaches in institutions which are not explicitly memory institutions. The award includes a cash prize of £1000, a trophy and certificates.
In addition, winners and finalists will receive a print quality logo for reproduction on websites or stationery. All applicants will receive practical commentary on their nomination including comments from the ‘public vote’. Informal feedback suggests that this feedback has been widely re-used by applicants in grant applications and curricula vitae.
The ceremony for the Digital Preservation Awards took place in Amsterdam on the evening of World Digital Preservation Day, Thursday 29th November 2018.