W. Kaye Lamb Prize (established 1983)

Named for Dr. William Kaye Lamb, Dominion Archivist of Canada (1948-1969) and founding National Librarian of Canada (1953-1967), this prize is awarded annually to honour the author of the Archivaria article that, by its exceptional combination of research, reflection, and writing, most advances archival thinking in Canada. It is the senior award of the journal for the best article overall.

The winner of the Lamb Prize is selected by General Editor, with the assistance of the members of the Archivaria Editorial Board. Each member of the Board, including the General Editor, ranks his or her top three articles from first to third; points are then assigned (5 points for a first-ranked vote, 3 for a second, and 1 for a third), and the winner is declared, with the General Editor breaking any possible ties. No article by a participant in the selection process for the prize is eligible to win, unless he or she formally withdraws from the process.

The first annual W. Kaye Lamb Prize was presented to Ian E. Wilson for his article, "'A Noble Dream': The Origins of the Public Archives of Canada," which appeared in Archivaria 15 (Winter 1982-83).

Hugh A. Taylor Prize (established 2006)

The Hugh A. Taylor Prize was established in 2006 to honour the doyen of Canadian archival thinkers whose wide range of scholarly publications sparked the Canadian archival imagination. The prize is awarded annually to the author of the Archivaria article that presents new ideas or refreshing syntheses in the most imaginative way, especially by exploring the implications of concepts or trends from other disciplines for archival thinking and activity, and by extending the boundaries of archival theory in new directions.

The winner of the Taylor prize is chosen by the General Editor and a professor of Archival Studies (selected by the General Editor), who will decide the winner by consensus. For the first five years, the latter role will be filled by Dr. Terry Cook of the University of Manitoba, a former General Editor of Archivaria, long-time member of its Editorial Board, and founding contributor for this prize. As with the Lamb Prize, no article by a participant in the selection process is eligible to win, unless he or she formally withdraws from the process.

Both the Lamb and the Taylor awards consist of a certificate, a cash prize, formal notification in Archivaria, and listing on the ACA web site. The first Taylor Prize was for the 2006-07 year, selected from articles published in Archivaria numbers 62 and 63, and was announced at the 2007 ACA Awards Luncheon, along with the Lamb Prize covering the same issues. Full announcement of the winning authors and articles appear in Archivaria 64 (Fall 2007).

Past Winners

Winners of the W. Kaye Lamb Prize, 1983 to present

Notes

2005: A substantial portion of Archivaria 55 (Spring 2003) comprised “Abstracts of Master of Archival Studies Theses at Canadian Universities.” Because the subsequent volume Archivaria 56 (Fall 2003) included the comprehensive index to Archivaria, for which the General Editor and Editorial Board granted a special W. Kaye Lamb prize to Heather MacNeil, the remaining articles from Volume 55 were considered as part of the eligible issues for the 2005 award.

2006: This was the year in which three issues of Archivaria, rather than the standard two, were published in order to return the journal to its production schedule and reflect changes in the Association’s accounting practices. Because the articles within Archivaria #59, “Québec’s Perspective on Archives,” had previously been published in other sources, the General Editor and Editorial Board did not consider this issue for the Lamb Prize.

2009:  With the removal of Archivaria 59 from prize contention in 2006, the schedule for awarding prizes became disrupted and so in order to bring the schedule back in line, and to allow the Editorial Board sufficient time to properly adjudicate on the articles, no prizes were awarded in 2009.  As a result, three issues were in contention for the 2010 prizes.

Winners of the Hugh A. Taylor Prize, 2007 to present

Notes

2009: No prize was awarded in 2009.  Please see the note under the Lamb Prize.