Colvin Prize

About

LINK TO THE 2024 COLVIN PRIZE PAGE VIA THE AWARDS MENU

The Colvin Prize is awarded annually to the author or authors of an outstanding work of reference that relates to the field of architectural history, broadly conceived. All modes of publication are eligible, including catalogues, gazetteers, digital databases and online resources.

The Colvin Prize is named in honour of Sir Howard Colvin (1919-2007), a former president of the Society. Colvin ranks among the most eminent and influential scholars in architectural history of the twentieth century. His best-known publications are now standard works of reference: the pioneering Dictionary of British Architects which transformed the study of seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and early nineteenth-century architecture, and the History of the King’s Works, which has provided the basis for the history of public building in England spanning centuries.

The prize was inaugurated in 2017. Winners receive a commemorative medal designed by contemporary medallist Abigail Burt. The obverse refers to the ‘Beehive’ by the Architects Co-Partnership (ACP) at St John’s College, Oxford, where Colvin was a long-serving fellow. This was a pioneering project by a Modernist firm, championed by Colvin. The beehive motif also alludes to the collaborative effort often involved with producing works of reference. The concave reverse is a representation of Colvin’s library in the house he designed for himself on Plantation Road in north Oxford.

Judging Panel

Dr Elizabeth Darling (Oxford Brookes University) (Chair)

Professor Richard Brook (Manchester School of Architecture)

Professor Louise Campbell (University of Warwick)

Dr Valeria Carullo (Royal Institute of British Architects)

Professor Simon Pepper (University of Liverpool)

Professor Leslie Topp (Birkbeck, University of London)

Criteria and Eligibility

All modes of publication are eligible, including dictionaries, edited volumes, catalogues, gazetteers, digital databases (including full-text, indexing/abstracting and bibliographic databases), and other online resources. Digital databases and online resources should be live and in use and should show significant development over the last 2 years. In the case of printed entries, in the first instance the publisher should submit a single chapter in the form of a suitably compressed Acrobat PDF file, to be used for shortlisting purposes. In the case of a website or other digital format, please submit the URL and log-in details, or a PDF file containing the most relevant material. When it comes to the second judging stage, it is expected that publishers will need to provide multiple copies of the shortlisted printed entries to allow each member of the panel to read the submission.

Printed publications should be published within the past 2 years (ie after 1 January 2021). Multi-volume works and series are eligible in toto, but individual volumes of multi-volume or serial works can also be submitted for assessment. Works of reference for heritage and conservation practice are strongly encouraged. Submissions should show contemporary relevance to scholarship and/or practice. Submissions should be written in English. A work may be submitted for consideration only once.

Works will be judged according to the following broad criteria:

Originality – the degree to which the research produces and/or enables new insights in architectural history and its methodologies. 

Impact – the degree to which the research has the potential to increase the understanding of, or influence innovation in the practice of architectural history. 

Rigour – the intellectual precision and/or systematic method and/or integrity embodied in the research. 

Communication – the degree to which the work communicates clearly through written, visual and spatial formats, and whether there is evidence of engaging audiences beyond specialists in the field. 

Judging Process

Stage 1 - Nomination 

Individuals are able to nominate eligible works or resources using the online form below. You do not need to be a member to nominate, and authors may self-nominate if they wish. Nominations close on 1 May 2023. 

Stage 2 - Longlist Submission 

Authors of nominated titles are invited to submit their work to a longlist for initial assessment by the judging panel, as soon as possible following nomination. 

Stage 3 - Shortlist Submission 

The first meeting of the judging panel will take place, when a shortlist will be determined.

Stage 4 - Award and Commendations

The judging panel will assess the shortlisted works and decide on a winner and any special commendations. All shortlisted entrants will be invited to our Annual Awards Ceremony, where the winner will be announced.

Nomination Form

Please complete the form below to nominate a work of reference. You do not need to be a member to nominate, and authors may self-nominate if they wish. Nominations close on 1 May 2023.