Recent graduate Dan Carter walked away with the prestigious Dorset Archaeological Award.

Held biennially in the historic town of Christchurch, the Dorset Archaeological Awards celebrates and distinguishes the innovators in the field of local archaeology.

The awards ceremony took place at the Civic Offices in Christchurch, Dorset on Friday 6 March and was attended by many luminaries from the world of archaeology. Presiding over the event was Laurence Keen OBE, Chairman of the Dorset Archaeological Committee and Katherine Barker, Chairman of the Judging Panel.

Also in attendance was Professor Mick Aston, from TV’s popular history show Time Team, who was there to present the awards.

Dr Alistair Somerville Ford, ICM Chairman and a keen advocate of local history, was also present and was thanked by the committee for his generous contribution towards the costs of the event.

The winners were determined by a judging panel made up of members from the Dorset Archaeological Committee, with the awards going to those who have made outstanding contributions to the county’s archaeology. The panel chose from eligible projects ranging from the discovery of new sites to archaeological excavation. 

There are four prizes and the grand winner receives a specially-commissioned wooden bowl, made by the late Cecil Colyer and contains a silver inscription designed by Mr Keen. This year there were eight laudable entries ranging from the Clavell Tower in Kimmeridge to the Symondsbury Estate.

Mick Aston was extremely impressed with all the entries this year and stated that these awards celebrated something close to his heart: “Those involved with archaeology on TV are not there for the sex, drugs and rock and roll. It is a way of reaching large audiences and enthusing and educating them. It’s our prime motivation. These awards do that. I hope they go on for years and continue to stimulate research in a very archaeological county.”

Graham Davies and Ken Gollop with “The Farming in the Lim Valley Project” and the Stour Valley Search and Recovery Club and Priest’s House Museum and Garden in Wimborne Minster with “The Stour Valley SRC display case at the Priest’s House Museum” were awarded highly commended certificates.

Dr Martin Papworth came second with the publication of his doctoral thesis “Deconstructing the Durotriges”, which considers evidence for the existence of the Durotriges as a group and is a major advance in the understanding of Iron Age Dorset.

The grand winner was Dan Carter, who recently graduated from Bournemouth University with a first-class honours degree in Archaeology, for his dissertation “The Verwood Pottery Industry and the Built Environment”. His research displayed an astute assessment of the available evidence as well as examined new survey techniques that will be beneficial to further studies of pottery industries.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Ian Horsey Memorial Award, which was awarded to Trevor Steptoe. This award goes to an individual for a significant personal contribution to archaeology in Dorset.

The Dorset Archaeological Award was established in 1988 by the Dorset Archaeological Committee and aims to promote all aspects of archaeological work in the county of Dorset. The committee consists of representatives from local government, museums, archaeological societies, the National Farmers Union, the Country Landowners and Business Association and other interest groups.