Award Description

An award of $1,000 is made to honor outstanding efforts to enhance public understanding of archaeology, in memory of Gene S. Stuart (1930-1993), a writer and managing editor of National Geographic Society books. The award is given to the author of the most interesting and responsible original story or series about about any archaeological topic published in a newspaper, magazine, or online publication.  The award is funded by Boundary End Archaeology Research Center.

Who Is Eligible to Submit Nominations or Apply for the Award

The award honors the author or authors of a publication which brought awareness of archaeology to the general public in 2025. Nominations can be submitted by authors themselves, by publication editors, or by readers. This award is meant to honor widely available articles, stories, or series (rather than limited distribution newsletters). The nominated work should include at least one written component. Each nominee will work with the committee chair to assemble and submit a copy of the nominated work. Awardees may be members or non-members of the SAA.

Nomination/Submission Materials Required

The committee chair will work with the nominator and, when necessary, the author, to assemble a digital copy of the article for submission, which should have been published within the calendar year of 2025. In cases where a series is nominated, the submission should include no more than five components (articles/stories). Each nomination file should include author name, publication date, and publication name, and should be submitted via email to the committee chair by the due date. If nominator wishes to submit paper copies, they must contact the committee chair in advance of the due date to ensure they arrive before deliberations begin. 

Other Special Requirements

Prior to any award recommendation being finalized and publically announced, anyone recommended for an award, scholarship, or grant will be required to certify the following:

Nature of Award (e.g. monetary, medal, symposium)

The awardee receives $1,000. In addition, the awardee is recognized by the SAA through a plaque presented during the business meeting held at the Annual Meeting, a citation in The SAA Archaeological Record, and acknowledgment on the awards page of the SAA Website. 

Current Committee Charge

Committee Composition

Committee composition is one chair and at least four members, who may be serving or recently served on the Committee for Media Outreach.

Term Length

Three years.

Award Cycle

N/A

Committee Chair and End of Term

Michelle Turner [2026]

Committee Chair Contact Information

Committee Members and Ends of Terms

Names and term end dates for the chair and all members can be found on the committee page in the SAA Directory. 

Selection or Evaluation Criteria

The Gene S. Stuart Award is given to the author of the most interesting and responsible original story/series about any archaeological topic published in a newspaper or magazine. The story/series should adhere to the guidelines of the Principles of Archaeological Ethics as outlined by the Society for American Archaeology. 

Committee Deliberation Process (e.g. dates, venue)

Prior to the deadline, award requirements and deadline information are distributed via email to current SAA members by SAA staff and to archaeology professional networks by members of the Award committee as they see fit. The committee chair communicates electronically evaluation procedures and deadlines to committee members. The committee meets electronically to evaluate submissions after the deadline has passed. The committee members evaluate submissions, rank them, and explain their rationale for their rankings. Based on the recommendations of the chair and the committee members, the chair makes the decision as to who gets the award.