Prize launched for new authors in conservation practice

A new prize has been launched for conservators and heritage professionals who have a first paper published in the leading conservation journal Studies in Conservation (SiC).

The prize is a joint initiative of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) and publishers Taylor & Francis. The competition will run for a year from July 2019. During this time, all major papers accepted by Studies in Conservation will be considered for the prize if the lead author is being published in that journal for the first time. Three judges, including a leading conservation practitioner from the IIC’s Grants and Awards Committee, the Director of Publications and News in Conservation Editor will consider entries and announce a winner in Summer 2020.

What we’re looking for

Judges will be looking for a winning entry which brings new insights to the profession on topics including:

•    Improving the care or treatment of a class of material
•    Preventing or reducing harmful practice
•    Evaluating the long term outcomes of past practice
•    Highlighting a new diagnostic method suitable for conservation
•    Illuminating an aspect of the philosophy and ethics of conservation

The winning piece is not likely to be a technical study and short communications pieces, such as posters, will not be considered.

Career-enhancing prize for the winner

The winning work will be published and promoted as a free to access paper, available to download on the Taylor and Francis website for 12 months. Both Taylor & Francis and IIC will promote the winner’s work, including across relevant Routledge social media profiles and celebrated on IIC’s website and social media platforms.

Need ideas? Join IIC and take part in our new discussion platform for conservators

Entrants are encouraged to join IIC, which is offering enhanced benefits to members for 2019-2020 membership year, including a new membership category for Early Career professionals and members’ digital community platform, allowing you to hone your ideas and gain insights from conservators across the world, including leading names in the profession. IIC has also just launched a mentoring scheme for conservation professionals, and has an ongoing programme of conferences and events for ongoing professional development.

It’s important to us to offer opportunities for conservators and cultural heritage professionals at every stage of their careers, and being published in conservation’s most important journal is a milestone for many. We hope this prize will encourage more professionals to take the leap and submit a first piece – and help us to draw attention to the very best new ideas.
Sarah Stannage, Executive Director of IIC
There are too few incentives in our profession for encouraging the publication of papers, so IIC is delighted to be able to offer this prize in collaboration with our publishers of Studies in Conservation, Taylor & Francis. As the leading technical publication in our field, putting forward papers for Studies in Conservation can appear to be somewhat daunting, so we very much hope this incentive will encourage those who have not done so before to submit.
Julian Bickersteth, President of IIC

Notes to editors

About the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

Founded in 1950 by members of the World War II ‘Monuments Men’, IIC is the London-based independent international organisation, bringing together conservation professionals from around the world, educating, enabling and recognising excellence. This commitment drives everything we do –from the intellectually stimulating Congresses to activities specifically tailored to capture the imagination and curiosity of students of conservation. Our Studies in Conservation records and publishes the latest developments in the field, our enquiry-led Dialogues host discussions and the development of new ideas, our Awards recognise and celebrate the greatest achievements in our sector and promote the work of conservation professionals for the common good. Our highly sought after Fellowships and Honorary Memberships acknowledge the status and contribution of the highest achievers of the profession.

IIC is a charity, and our important work is made possible by our supporters and a range of independent sources of funding including membership fees, fundraising events, congresses and publications, and sponsorship and commercial partnerships.

Full details of our work can be found at www.iiconservation.org