Home

Membership

Register

Awards  & Publications

Student Paper Competition

2010 Conference

Student Paper Competition

Students and recent graduates are invited to submit abstracts for twenty-minute, single-authored papers on any topic related to archaeology in the Mid-Atlantic United States. We offer two separate contests : one for undergraduate students and one for graduate students. Student presenters may be placed within the flow of the conference in appropriately themed sessions, included in a separate student session, or be part of an organized session if they have been invited to do so. Papers are evaluated by a panel of judges with diverse backgrounds in the field of archaeology, drawn from the MAAC membership. The papers are judged on content and presentation. Each participant has the opportunity to be paired with a mentor who has a similar focus in archaeology after the abstract has been accepted. The mentor serves as an advisor and editor on the paper before final presentation.

 

Who Can Enter?

Students currently enrolled in an academic program and recent graduates (those

within 3 years of receiving a Bachelor’s degree or one year of completing a thesis/dissertation) are eligible. Only single author papers will be considered.

 

Guidelines:

Judges base their decisions on the following criteria:

 

Content - Is the work well organized? Is a problem or research question presented

and answered? Is the research question placed within a larger social, cultural, or

economic context? Does the author use archaeological data and/or relevant theory to

support the argument?

 

Presentation - Judges will consider the oral presentation (the presenter’s ability to

communicate to an audience) as well as the student's overall presentation of his or her

research. They will also evaluate the use of audio-visual aids.

 

Contribution to the field - Judges will consider the originality of the research and

overall the contribution or usefulness to the field of archaeology.

 

Awards:

The judges announce their decision at the Saturday night reception. Two grand prize

winners -- one undergraduate and one graduate student -- each receive $100 and a

one-year membership in MAAC. The winners will also have their papers published in

the Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology (cash award will be held until the work is

submitted, in final format, to the journal editor). All participants are strongly

encouraged to submit their papers for publication in the journal.

 

Submission Information:

The deadline for the paper title and abstract is December 12, 2009. In addition to

the title and abstract (150 words or less), provide name, affiliation and/or degree

program, mentor preference (optional), address, phone, email, audio-visual

requirements, and proof of the paid conference registration and membership fees.

Please submit all materials electronically to Josh Duncan at

<maacstudents2@gmail.com>. A copy of the paper is due to Josh at least one

month prior to the conference (February 18, 2010).

 

MAAC offers a well-supported scholarship program that reimburses

student presenters the costs of registration and membership when they

arrive at the conference.

 

 

 

 

Download a printable flyer for the competition here.

General Information