Call for Nominations: John L. Cotter Award

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: 2026 JOHN L. COTTER AWARD

The Society for Historical Archaeology Awards Committee is pleased to announce its call for nominations for the 2026 John L. Cotter Award. Established in 1988, the award is named in honor of John Lambert Cotter (1911–1999), a pioneer educator and advocate for the discipline, and recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual at the start of his/her career in historical archaeology. The individual can either be in training as an undergraduate or graduate student or be a professional at the beginning of his/her career. The award can be given for a single achievement that is truly outstanding in its respective category, or for a combination of early and significant career accomplishments; the nature and variety of categories are open. Please consult the narratives on former awardees to review the range of achievements for this award. These are accessible through the SHA website at https://sha.org/about-us/awards-and-prizes/.

The nomination packet will contain the following items:

  1. A nomination cover sheet for the John L. Cotter Award, which should include: (1) submission date of the nomination and (2) the full name, address, and all contact information for both the nominee and primary nominator(s) (including, for both, a street address, an e-mail address, and cell phone numbers).
  2. A formal, dated statement, in letter format and signed by the primary nominator(s), documenting the reasons for the nomination (maximum length five double-spaced pages).
  3. An up-to-date C.V. for the nominee.
  4. Supporting materials may be included, including summations or different evidence of the achievement and no more than three (3) letters of support to be included with the nomination packet (letters or materials mailed or e-mailed separately to the chair of the Awards Committee apart from the nomination packet will not be included in the nomination). Support letters should be no more than two pages in length.

Nominations that are judged by the Awards Committee to be worthy may be awarded in a later year, based on the timing of applicants that are already under the committee’s review.

Contact details for SHA Awards Committee Chair JW Joseph jwjoseph@newsouthassoc.com 770-498-4155 ext. 102.

Nomination Requirements: The nominee and a nominator must be current SHA members, with exceptions provided for the nominator if they are not a professional archaeologist. The entire nomination packet must be submitted as a complete PDF via e-mail to the Awards Committee chair by no later than November 1, 2025.