If you find that the answers to the above are generally YES, then the Nigel Williams Prize is for you!
The Prize is currently £750 for the winning entry, along with a secondary prize of £300 awarded at the judges' discretion for a close runner-up. Also, in recognition of Nigel’s work on the original vase, Wedgwood have donated a gilded ceramic copy of the Portland Vase. (At the time of presentation, however, the winner is given an “individual” version of this, as the copy has to remain on permanent display in the Wedgwood Museum!)
As from this year (2012) the organisers are also introducing a Student Prize worth £200 for a piece of work completed while the applicant was still a full-time student.
The next Award Ceremony will be held in 2014.
Past Nigel Williams Prize winners:
Prize Award 2010 Prize Award 2008 Prize Award 2006
In the 1960s, before conservation was seen as a profession, a 16-year old called Nigel Williams started work as a museum assistant the Department of British and Medieval Antiquities in the British Museum. Though he worked on a variety of antiquities, ceramics proved to be his primary and lasting passion, and with that creative mixture of hard graft, good hand-skills and resourcefulness, he eventually became Head of the Ceramics and Glass Conservation section at the museum. His name has since come to be associated with the conservation and restoration of some of the museum’s best known objects, especially the Sutton Hoo Helmet and the Portland Vase.
In 1994, at the relatively young age of 47, Nigel died suddenly during a British Museum excavation in Jordan. By way of a memorial to his achievements and to the professional values that he upheld, the Ceramics and Glass Conservation Group, together with Nigel’s family, later created a Prize to be awarded in his name.
The first Award Ceremony took place in 2002 and (with the exception of 2012). Prizes have been awarded bi-annually since.
See also the “Applications” section below. It is recognised that for most conservators today the opportunities to conserve or restore high-profile objects such as the Portland Vase are rare. Thus, in acknowledgement of another important aspect of Nigel’s work, the Prize is awarded as much in a spirit of encouragement as in judgement, recognising the on-going process of consistent and good professional practice. Nigel himself was a great encourager, sharing his knowledge over the years by teaching evening classes, giving lectures both in Britain and abroad, and through his book on Porcelain Repair and Restoration.
The organisers invite entries from members of Icon, whether in the public or private sector, including students or recent graduates (see “What is the Prize” above). The project may be either preventive or interventive (or both), and the primary focus must be on the conservation/restoration of ceramics, glass, or a related material.
Applicants are welcome to discuss potential submissions in advance with the co-ordinator Ronald Pile (
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Project entries must have been completed within 3 years prior to the next Award Ceremony in 2014. They must demonstrate:
- A clear and critical understanding of possibilities and constraints in the light of current professional and ethical codes of conduct (including H/S).
- A clearly presented assessment of all the technical issues surrounding the project, and the conservation/restoration options available.
- Knowledge of conservation materials past and present, and an exemplary degree of technical implementation (with some evidence of ingenuity in the approach taken).
- Clear documentation, with the potential for publication. (The organisers undertake to recommend the winning entries to relevant publications).
The Application dead-line for the next Award is 30th April 2014.
A panel of 3 judges drawn from both the public and private sector will assess each submission, and their decision is final. Following their decision, each applicant will be provided – if they so wish – with a summary of the judges' assessment in their case.
Have you completed a piece of conservation/restoration work in ceramics, glass, or some related material to your satisfaction within the last three years that might also be of interest to others in the profession? Did it present some interesting challenges, technically and/or ethically, requiring perhaps some lateral thinking? Would it conform to the assessment criteria in the “Applications” section below?