The Lancaster Prize in Digital Humanities

The Lancaster Prize in Digital Humanities is awarded for an outstanding undergraduate essay on any topic that uses, or critiques the use of, digital technology in any humanities discipline. Disciplines may include, but are not limited to: history, archaeology, literary studies, human geography, theology, religious studies, anthropology and philosophy. Offered by the Digital Humanities Hub at Lancaster University, it is open to current undergraduates at any UK or overseas university.

The successful candidate will be awarded a prize of £250, plus the offer of the Lancaster Digital Humanities Masterclass: the opportunity to spend a week training with Lancaster’s leading digital humanities scholars.

2019 Winner Announced: We are delighted to announce that the 2019 winner is: Naja Algreen Suhr (University of Copenhagen) for “The elderly of Copenhagen in 1885.” Additionally, two other applicants, Kanish Garg (Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee) and Lena Zlock (Stanford University) were noted as highly commended.

Dates and details for the 2020 prize are yet to be announced. The below (from 2019) is indicative only.

Indicative themes include:

  • Mapping and spatial technologies
  • Data visualisation and design
  • Blogging and web technologies
  • Text encoding and analysis
  • Databases
  • Network analysis
  • Coding for humanities research
  • Digitisation projects
  • Electronic literature and digital editions
  • Image processing
  • Humanities gaming
  • Debates in digital literacy
  • Debates in digital humanities

Essays, of 2,500 to 3,000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography), should be submitted, together with a brief covering letter, which must include the name of your university and title of your degree, signed by a member of your faculty confirming that you are a current undergraduate.

A poster describing the 2019 prize is available for download.