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DurhamARCTIC

The DurhamARCTIC Arctic Dissertation Award

To promote and celebrate the rich diversity of Arctic-orientated research and teaching at Durham University, the Durham Arctic Research Centre for Training and Interdisciplinary Collaboration (DurhamARCTIC) is announcing the DurhamARCTIC Arctic Dissertation Award.

Map of Arctic

 

Only works that have been submitted to departments as undergraduate dissertations (BA or BSc) and that have received a 1:1 (‘First’) mark are are eligible for consideration. Dissertations must meet all the guidelines set by the receiving department for undergraduate dissertations.

Submissions can come from any of the four faculties at Durham and can be on any Arctic-related topic. Applicants are not required to have conducted research in the Arctic, nor does the dissertation need to be entirely focused on the Arctic region. However, it must have significant Arctic content, for instance by reporting on the impact of a phenomenon on the Arctic, or on the ways in which outsiders have encountered the Arctic, or on how Arctic processes are driving changes in other regions.

For purposes of this competition ‘The Arctic’ is defined according to the area defined by the Arctic Human Development Report, which includes all of Alaska (US); Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Labrador (Canada); Greenland and Faroe Islands (Kingdom of Denmark); Iceland; Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark (Norway); Norrbotten (Sweden); and Lappi (Finland); as well as parts or all of Murmansk, Nenets, Komi, Yamalo-Nenets, Krasnoyarsk, Taimyr, Sakha, and Chukotka (Russia). All areas of ocean-space north of the Arctic Human Development Report boundary (the thick red line on the attached map) also qualify.

 

To enter the competition, applications must be made no later than 1 July. To apply send an email containing:

    1. A copy of the submitted version of your dissertation; and
    2. A cover letter containing:
      1. A brief statement (no more than 500 words) explaining the originality and academic excellence of your dissertation and why you feel that it is about, or relevant to, the Arctic; and
      2. A non-Durham email address (so that you can be contacted if awards are made after your Durham email address has been suspended).

 

The dissertation competition will be managed by the directors of DurhamARCTIC, and individuals who recently received PhDs funded by DurhamARCTIC will also be involved in the review process. Because Arctic research spans a wide range of disciplines, we cannot guarantee that your dissertation will be assessed by experts in your field.

Dissertations will be judged according to the following criteria:

      • Scholarly originality and excellence
      • Contribution made toward Arctic scholarship

Awards will be made as follows:

      • First prize: £600
      • Second prize: £400
      • Third prize: £200

 

Past Winners

2024

  • First Prize: Max Whelan (Glacier Change on Bylot Island: An Investigation into Glacier Terminus Migration and the Controls Thereon (1985-2020))
  • Second Prize: Francesca Milton-Jones (An Updated Assessment of the Status of Mountain Glaciers across the Lyngen Peninsula: Response to 21st Century Proglacial Lake Expansion and Climate Forcing)
  • Third Prize: Lily Thompson (Navigating the Polar Frontier: Exploring the Effects of Sea-Ice Decline on Shipping and Sea Routes in the Arctic)