Every two years the NDSA celebrates the Excellence Awards in recognition and encouragement of exemplary achievement in the field of digital preservation and stewardship. Created in 2012, the awards seek to highlight and commend all forms of creative and meaningful contributions in the field of digital preservation.
With 12 months to go until the next round of awards are presented in 2025… we have begun our countdown to the next celebration by inviting our 2023 winners to share their reflections on what being a recipient of an Excellence Award means to them!
Here’s what they have to say:
Sophia van Hoek, Winner of the Excellence Award for Future Stewards
“In 2023 I received the Future Steward Excellence award for my efforts in sustainability in the digital preservation field. I am truly honoured to have received this award, which represents not only a recognition of my efforts in digital preservation but also a validation of commitment this field has for sustainability. Being acknowledged in this way has been incredibly meaningful to me, serving as a reminder of the importance of our work and the impact it can have on future generations. The recognition has motivated me to continue exploring the topic of sustainability through my work as an archivist, and advisor in the Dutch archival sector.
As I reflect on this recognition, I see it as an opportunity to encourage and support the next generation of early-career professionals and students in digital preservation. I am committed to sharing my insights and experiences that have shaped my journey with others in the field, and I am excited about the potential for collaboration. To anyone considering nominating themselves for an award, I encourage you to take that step. Recognition can be a powerful catalyst for growth and innovation, not only for yourself but also for the digital preservation community. Don’t hesitate to put yourself out there!”
Ashley Blewer, Winner of the Excellence Award for Educators
“I really feel honoured when I look at all the other awardees over the years and see myself alongside some absolutely brilliant people and project teams. We are an incredibly talented field with so many types of strengths, and it’s so rewarding to be a part of the digital preservation community. Recently, I co-taught an online workshop course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign about using audiovisual preservation tools, which has been helping me in my understanding of how to best inform large groups of students about the challenges of digital preservation for time-based media assets, leveraging some of the work noted in the NDSA 2024 award. My goal is to continue forward with lowering technical barriers and helping students have confidence in their abilities through building tools that facilitate learning. To those considering nominating themselves for an award…never hesitate to hype yourself or your work! Even if you don’t win an award this time, it’s an excellent opportunity for self-reflection and how you can continue to grow your expertise in the direction of your choosing.”
Stephen Abrams, Winner of the Excellence Award for Individuals
“Practitioners have long recognized that effective and sustainable digital preservation is possible only by complementing local effort with communal support. No one individual or institution can ever hope to have the expertise and capacity needed to respond to ever-increasing growth in the number, size, diversity, and complexity of digital content needing proactive preservation stewardship. In my experience over the past 25 years, the digital preservation community has been uniformly welcoming, nurturing, innovative, and collegial. I have profited so much, personally as well as professionally, from interactions large and small across the community over the years. So, it was extremely gratifying to have received public recognition by valued colleagues and peers in the form of an NDSA Excellence Award, particularly as an Individual Award reflects on the span of a career. I’ve always tried to give back to the community to some small degree relative to what I’ve gained, perhaps this Award is a sign of progress in that direction. What I’ve been able to achieve has come from “standing on the shoulders of giants.” I hope my experience encourages others to continue to explore, to experiment, to achieve, to share, and to advance the grand challenges and opportunities of long-term digital stewardship.”
Michelle Donoghue of the Nuclear Decommissioning Project, Winner of the Excellence Award for Projects
“My team and I were delighted to have been awarded the NDSA Excellence Project Award in 2023. It was an amazing opportunity to champion our work both internally and across the digital preservation sector. The issues we face in nuclear decommissioning with regard to preserving our legacy data for the very (very) long term are often overshadowed by more immediate priorities. Winning this award afforded us the opportunity to celebrate our progress, highlight its value, and demonstrate our contribution to this field. I strongly encourage anyone to nominate themselves – it’s a quick and easy process – and the benefits are wide ranging!”
Dr. David S.H. Rosenthal & Victoria Reich, Winners of the Excellence Award for Sustainability
“We were delighted and honoured to be recognized by our peers. Working in digital preservation is like sailing against the wind. The justifications are difficult – why pay money to safeguard materials that might be useful in the future? Being recognized by peers, is metaphorically “wind in sails”. That extra push is most useful to those currently helming the boat. We recommend current practitioners nominate themselves and their programs for recognition and benefit from the boost being an award recipient provides.”
As a diverse international membership organization with a shared commitment to digital preservation, the NDSA understands the importance of innovation and risk-taking in developing and supporting a broad range of successful digital preservation activities. Acknowledging that excellent digital stewardship can take many forms, eligibility for these awards is purposely broad.
All are welcome to make a nomination to the NDSA Awards – you do not have to be affiliated with NDSA or member institutions. Nominations, and self-nominations, from all parts of the world and all digital preservation disciplines are welcomed and encouraged, as are submissions reflecting the needs and accomplishments of historically marginalized and underrepresented communities.
Think you could be a winner in 2025?
Don’t miss your chance to shine! Mark your calendars for June 2025 when nominations open. Be ready to submit your nominations and take your shot at winning!
