Tag: Alan Ball Award

Alan Ball Awards 2024

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We are once again seeking nominations for the Alan Ball Awards – the UK’s leading prize for local history publishing.

The object of the Awards is to encourage the production of high quality publicly or locally funded local history publications. They are open to all heritage and community organisations; and individuals that have self-published. Our criteria for assessing the award are not just about the quality and content of a publication, but its whole journey i.e. how it was conceived, who is involved and how it was funded.

We especially welcome submissions from libraries, archives, museum and archaeology services, small local museums and heritage centres, Local History societies, community history projects and local authors.

2024 Award

We have three categories:

  • Print publication – for best hardcopy publication 
  • E-publication – for best digital publication (e-books, journals, websites or virtual exhibitions, blogs and apps – we are sorry but we are unable to include digital installations within heritage or museum sites)
  • Community Award – for best community publication in either category

The publication needs to have appeared between January and December 2024.

Nominations including a copy of the publication or link to e-content to be submitted by end of January 2025. 

For further information, and to submit an application, visit our nomination page.

Alan Ball winners 2023 announced

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Logo for Alan Ball Award

CILIP Local Studies Group and the Library Services Trust are pleased to announce the winners of the Alan Ball Awards for the best local history publications that were published in 2023. Once again, we had a good number of high-quality publications that made judging very difficult. The winners are:

Hardcopy joint winners

Glasgow Life Museums, Scotland’s Lascar Heritage: Investigating the lives of South Asian Mariners (Glasgow Museums Publishing in Association with the Bangladesh Association Glasgow, 2023). Available here: https://shop.glasgowlife.org.uk/products/scotland-s-lascar-heritage-investigating-the-lives-of-south-asian-mariners

Paula Stevens, Lavenham House Histories (Self-Published, 2023). Available here: https://paula-stevens.sumupstore.com/

Hardcopy highly commended

Kevin Crangle, Ardglass and Dunsford County Down Biographies (Self-Published, 2023). Available here: https://ulsterhistoricalfoundation.com/shop/products/ardglass

Lancashire Archives, Archives: Lancashire History Magazine (issues 2 & 3, 2023). More information here: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/archives-and-record-office/archives-magazine/

E-publication winner

Harlaxton History Society website 2023; www.harlaxtonhistory.co.uk

Community Project publication winner

Newport History Group, Lest We Forget: Poppy Project 2022 (Newport on Tay, Fife, 2023). Available here: https://www.newportontayhistory.org.uk/shop/Lest-We-Forget-p601784795

Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who submitted their publications. An online presentation event will take place in July 2024.

Nominations are open for hard copy and e-publications published in 2024, closing date end of January 2025.

Nominations open for Alan Ball Awards 2022

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Once again we are looking to reward outstanding local history publications and we need your help.

Do you know of an excellent local history book or website that was published in 2022? Then please think of submitting a nomination to the Alan Ball Awards: we want to reward as diverse a range of publications as possible. The Awards are now open to all heritage and community organisations, as well as individuals that have self-published. This year we will have three categories:

  • Print publication – for best hardcopy publication 
  • E-publication – for best digital publication (e-books, journals, websites or virtual exhibitions, blogs and apps. Please note: we are unable to include digital installations within heritage or museum sites)
  • Community Award – for best community publication in either category.

Deadline for submission is the end of February 2023. Further details and how to submit nominations can be found at: https://lslibrarians.wordpress.com/local-studies-publication-e-publications-of-the-year-awards/

Alan Ball Award Winners Announced

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We are very pleased to announced the winners of Alan Ball Awards for 2020 and 2021. The Awards recognise achievement in local history publication. This year there were three categories: best print publication, best e-publication and best community publication.  

It was very competitive field – we received around 38 nominations of the book award and 10 for the e-award – so many congratulations to all the winners and those highly commended. A thank you too to the judges and Solihull Library for hosting us.

2020

Hard-copy winner: John Simpson (ed),  Managing Poverty: Cheltenham Settlement Examinations and Removal Orders, 1831-52.  Published by the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society.

Highly commended: Rowan Whimster, Ramsbury: A Place and its People. Published by the Friends of the Holy Cross Church, Ramsbury.

Community award: Louise Wong (ed.), Crossing the Borders [Stories of the S E Asian communities in Manchester]. An NLHF funded project by the Wai Yin Society / Manchester University / Ahmed Iqbal Ulah RACE centre –  Manchester Central Library / Manchester Art Gallery.

E publication award: Stroudwater History website – www.stroudwaterhistory.org.uk. Published by the Stroudwater Navigation Archive Charity.

2021

Hard-copy joint winner: The Picture of Yarmouth: 200 Years of Built Heritage. Published by the Great Yarmouth Local History & Archaeological Society.

Hard-copy joint winner: Louise Ryland-Epton (ed), Bremhill Parish Through the Ages: The Heritage of a Wiltshire Community. Published by the Bremhill Parish History Group.

Hard-copy highly commended: Lewis N Wood, Banstead War Memorial – 100 Years: An Illustrated history. Published by the Banstead History Research Group.

Hard-copy highly commended: Clare Wichbold – Hard Work – But Glorious: Stories from the Herefordshire Suffrage Campaign (self-published).

Community award joint winner: Alison Wilson with Anna Crutchley and Lilian Rundblad, photography by Faruk Kara, A Community Remembers: Histon Road  (book with CD). Published by the Histon Road Area Residents Association.

Community award joint winner: Nunnery Lane and Clementhorpe: Exploring Old Shops and Pubs in York. Published by the Clements Hall Local History Group.

E-publication: South West Heritage Trails – Torbay Discovery Heritage Trail  www.southwestheritagetrails.org.uk. Published by South West Heritage Trust.

Nominations open for Alan Ball Awards

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We are pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the Alan Ball Awards for local history publication of the year. The criteria and categories have slightly changed this year in order to be as inclusive as possible. We have also increased the date range under consideration due to the impact of lockdown.

The award, which is organised by the Local Studies Group of CILIP on behalf of the Library Services Trust, is open to all heritage and community organisations, and individuals that have self-published. Our criteria for assessing the award is not just about the quality and content of a publication, but its whole journey i.e. how it was conceived, who is involved and how it was funded. Therefore we especially welcome submissions from: libraries, archives, museum and archaeology services; small local museums and heritage centres; Local History societies; community history projects; local authors. 

We have three categories:

  • Print publication – for best hardcopy publication 
  • E-publication – for best digital publication (e-books, journals, websites or virtual exhibitions, blogs and apps. Please note: we are unable to include digital installations within heritage or museum sites)
  • Community Award – for best community publication in either category.

The publication needs to have appeared between July 2019 and December 2021.

Nominations, including a copy of the publication or link to e-content, should be submitted by January 2022. 

Further details and application forms are at the bottom of this page.

Last year’s winners were:

Best print publication

The National Stone Centre for Delving along the Derwent. Press coverage can be found here.

Best e-publication

East Midlands Oral History Archive for THE POST WAR HISTORY OF LEICESTER 1945-1962. Press release here.

Nominations open for the Alan Ball Award 2019

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Nominations are now open for the Alan Ball Award 2019 aka Local History Publication of the Year.

The award is open to all heritage and community organisations involved with some aspect of local history, and who have received public funding for the publication. Public funding includes lottery funding, e.g. Heritage Lottery Fund and Awards for All. In addition to local authority libraries, archives, museum and archaeology services, we welcome submissions from small local museums, heritage centres and community history projects. The publication needs to have appeared between July 2018 and June 2019.

We have two categories:

  • Print publication
  • E-publication.

One winner will be picked in each category.

Nominations close on the 30th November. To submit your nominations, please use the forms at the bottom of this page.

Want some inspiration? Read about the 2018 winners and runners up.

Clements Hall Local History Group receive their Alan Ball Certificate

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Elizabeth Melrose (CILIP LSG Treasurer) recently presented Clements Hall Local History Group with their Alan Ball Award 2018 certificate. Susan Major accepted on behalf of everyone involved.


Susan Major from Clements Hall Local History Group

Clements Hall were highly commended in the e-publication category for their online resources exploring the impact of the First World War on the Scarcroft, Clementhorpe and South Bank areas of York. Following a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, they worked on a two year research project. Topics include:

You can also find a list of local men who died in the area and those listed on the Scarcroft School memorial. The website is developed by SeeGreen.

We are increasingly impressed with the quality of resources this category, which suggests that web services and tools are becoming more accessible to community history projects.

Alan Ball Award Winners 2018

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We are delighted to announce the winners of the Alan Ball Awards for 2018. The awards recognise excellence in local history publishing. There were some exceptional nominations this year, which the judges found difficult to separate. Congratulations to all winners, runners-up and highly commended entries.

Best print publication

Winner: A Swindon Time Capsule: Working Class Life 1899-1984. Highlights from the Dixon-Attwell Collection held at Swindon Central Library – Swindon Libraries.

More details: https://libraryshop.wordpress.com/2018/04/27/a-swindon-time-capsule-working-class-life-1899-1984-by-graham-carter-swindon-heritage/

Runner-up: Devon during the First World War – Devon Remembers Heritage Project (South West Heritage Trust)

Highly Commended: Dock Street Memories, Ellesmere Port – Celia Webber ed. Ellesmere Port Local and Family history society, Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Best e-publication

Joint Winner: Poole, the First World War and its Legacy  https://www.pooleww1.org.uk/  (Poole Museum)

Joint Winner: Bristol Old Vic Heritage – Archive https://bristololdvic.org.uk/archive (Bristol Old Vic Theatre / Amy Spreadbury)

Highly Commended: Clements Hall Local History Group (First World War: Then and Now) –www.clementshallhistorygroup.org.uk

Wigan Archives and Local Studies receive their Alan Ball Award

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Alex Miller (r) receives the certificate from Andrew Walmsley (LSG NW)

Recently, we were pleased to present Wigan Archives and Local Studies with their Alan Ball Award for local history publication of the Year. Wigan won in the print category for their new edition of the Diary of Miss Weeton, edited by Alan Roby (ISBN 978-1-5262-0553-7). Alex Miller, archivist at Wigan, received the certificate from 
Andrew Walmsley, chair of LSG North-West.

The book is based on personal writings by Nelly Weeton (1776–1849), the Lancashire governess and diarist. Nelly Weeton’s diary is an important source for women’s history in the early 19th century. Terry Bracher, convener of the judging panel, said: “Miss Weeton, Governess and Traveller is an outstanding publication in every sense, with engaging content that is accessible to a wide range of audiences. Alan’s skilful editing and research for this new edition has enhanced the reader’s enjoyment and is a story that can be appreciated by audiences across the country and beyond. Wigan Archives and Local Studies have been very active in local history publishing, so we are especially pleased that this book has been recognised.”