The winners of the 2025 Current Archaeology Awards have been announced, celebrating outstanding contributions to the field. This year’s top honours included Crypt: Life, Death, and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond by Alice Roberts for Book of the Year, and the excavation of Sheffield Castle for Rescue Project of the Year.
Alice Roberts Wins Book of the Year for Crypt
Professor Alice Roberts, renowned archaeologist and television presenter, has won the Current Archaeology Book of the Year award for her latest work, Crypt: Life, Death, and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond. The book explores medieval burials and the lives of ordinary people through the remains of seven individuals, combining archaeological science with engaging storytelling.
Crypt continues the themes explored in Roberts’ previous books, Ancestors and Buried, offering fresh insights into Britain’s past. The award, determined by a public vote, was presented at the Current Archaeology Live! conference in London on 1 March. Unable to attend in person, Roberts sent a video message: “I am absolutely delighted that my book, Crypt, has won Current Archaeology’s Book of the Year. This means an awful lot to me, as an author, to have this accolade from the community, so I wanted to say thank you very much – I’m sorry not to be with you in person!”
Sheffield Castle Excavation Takes Rescue Project of the Year
In the Rescue Project of the Year category, the excavation of Sheffield Castle—considered the ‘birthplace’ of the city—earned top honours. Led by Wessex Archaeology as part of Sheffield City Council’s Castlegate Regeneration Project, the dig uncovered remains of the once-formidable Norman fortress, which had been hidden beneath the city’s urban landscape for centuries.
The castle, originally built to command the confluence of the Rivers Sheaf and Don, played a significant role in medieval England, even serving as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots. Destroyed during the English Civil War, its ruins were gradually lost to industrial development—until this recent excavation revealed impressive fortifications, including a gatehouse, walls, and a well.
Ashley Tuck (Wessex Archaeology, winner of Rescue Project of the Year 2025) [Photo credit Adam Stanford, www.adam-stanford.co.uk]
Project leader Ashley Tuck expressed his excitement over the award, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the excavation and the deep connection Sheffield residents have with their city’s medieval past. “Sheffield Castle was the birthplace of what is now famous as a great city of the industrial age. But back in the years after the Norman Conquest it would have been a lonely power centre controlling the confluence of the rivers in the foothills of the Peak District. The castle grew into one of the largest in northern England before being slighted during the Civil War. The remains including gatehouse, walls, well, and even the motte were then buried and lost in the urban landscape. I think in post-industrial Sheffield the castle is key to the meaning and identity of the people who live and work here. It seems like everyone wants to talk about the castle, and that has been reflected by the intense public interest in tours, talks and volunteer participation.”
More Winners at the 2025 Current Archaeology Awards
Professor Joyce Tyldesley was named Archaeologist of the Year, recognising her significant contributions to the field, particularly her work in Egyptology. Known for her extensive research on ancient Egypt and her accessible approach to archaeological storytelling, Tyldesley has been instrumental in bringing historical discoveries to a wider audience.
Meanwhile, the Research Project of the Year award went to excavations exploring the history of Scottish whisky. Since 2020, archaeological investigations by Pioneering Spirit project have been hunting down the well-hidden remains of some of these sites, as well as excavating the location of the first legal whisky production centre in the Highlands: the original Glenlivet distillery in Speyside.
Celebrating Archaeology’s Best
All awards were presented by archaeologist and television host Julian Richards at the Current Archaeology Live! event, which was held in partnership with the UCL Institute of Archaeology and attended by over 600 people. The awards continue to highlight the importance of archaeology in uncovering lost histories and fostering public engagement with the past.
Top Image: Prof Alice Roberts (winner of Book of the Year 2025) via video message, with archaeologist and educator Julian Richards on stage. [Photo credit: Adam Stanford, www.adam-stanford.co.uk]
The winners of the 2025 Current Archaeology Awards have been announced, celebrating outstanding contributions to the field. This year’s top honours included Crypt: Life, Death, and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond by Alice Roberts for Book of the Year, and the excavation of Sheffield Castle for Rescue Project of the Year.
Alice Roberts Wins Book of the Year for Crypt
Professor Alice Roberts, renowned archaeologist and television presenter, has won the Current Archaeology Book of the Year award for her latest work, Crypt: Life, Death, and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond. The book explores medieval burials and the lives of ordinary people through the remains of seven individuals, combining archaeological science with engaging storytelling.
Crypt continues the themes explored in Roberts’ previous books, Ancestors and Buried, offering fresh insights into Britain’s past. The award, determined by a public vote, was presented at the Current Archaeology Live! conference in London on 1 March. Unable to attend in person, Roberts sent a video message: “I am absolutely delighted that my book, Crypt, has won Current Archaeology’s Book of the Year. This means an awful lot to me, as an author, to have this accolade from the community, so I wanted to say thank you very much – I’m sorry not to be with you in person!”
Sheffield Castle Excavation Takes Rescue Project of the Year
In the Rescue Project of the Year category, the excavation of Sheffield Castle—considered the ‘birthplace’ of the city—earned top honours. Led by Wessex Archaeology as part of Sheffield City Council’s Castlegate Regeneration Project, the dig uncovered remains of the once-formidable Norman fortress, which had been hidden beneath the city’s urban landscape for centuries.
The castle, originally built to command the confluence of the Rivers Sheaf and Don, played a significant role in medieval England, even serving as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots. Destroyed during the English Civil War, its ruins were gradually lost to industrial development—until this recent excavation revealed impressive fortifications, including a gatehouse, walls, and a well.
Project leader Ashley Tuck expressed his excitement over the award, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the excavation and the deep connection Sheffield residents have with their city’s medieval past. “Sheffield Castle was the birthplace of what is now famous as a great city of the industrial age. But back in the years after the Norman Conquest it would have been a lonely power centre controlling the confluence of the rivers in the foothills of the Peak District. The castle grew into one of the largest in northern England before being slighted during the Civil War. The remains including gatehouse, walls, well, and even the motte were then buried and lost in the urban landscape. I think in post-industrial Sheffield the castle is key to the meaning and identity of the people who live and work here. It seems like everyone wants to talk about the castle, and that has been reflected by the intense public interest in tours, talks and volunteer participation.”
More Winners at the 2025 Current Archaeology Awards
Professor Joyce Tyldesley was named Archaeologist of the Year, recognising her significant contributions to the field, particularly her work in Egyptology. Known for her extensive research on ancient Egypt and her accessible approach to archaeological storytelling, Tyldesley has been instrumental in bringing historical discoveries to a wider audience.
Meanwhile, the Research Project of the Year award went to excavations exploring the history of Scottish whisky. Since 2020, archaeological investigations by Pioneering Spirit project have been hunting down the well-hidden remains of some of these sites, as well as excavating the location of the first legal whisky production centre in the Highlands: the original Glenlivet distillery in Speyside.
Celebrating Archaeology’s Best
All awards were presented by archaeologist and television host Julian Richards at the Current Archaeology Live! event, which was held in partnership with the UCL Institute of Archaeology and attended by over 600 people. The awards continue to highlight the importance of archaeology in uncovering lost histories and fostering public engagement with the past.
Top Image: Prof Alice Roberts (winner of Book of the Year 2025) via video message, with archaeologist and educator Julian Richards on stage. [Photo credit: Adam Stanford, www.adam-stanford.co.uk]
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