Submissions are now open for A Year in Archives 2026 and we’re doing things a little differently this year…
A Year in Archives has always been an effective advocacy tool for services, allowing them to showcase their fantastic work to funders, stakeholders and colleagues within the wider sector.
As usual, we’ll be accepting submissions for case studies that communicate exceptional, and replicable, practice for colleagues in the archive sector. These will be categorised into the following themes that embody The Government’s new vision for archives in England published this year:
- Accessibility
- Inclusivity
- Sustainability
- Archives at the Heart of Society
Alongside ‘A Year in Archives’, we’ll also be producing a brand-new publication, designed for a public audience, which will shine a spotlight on all the different ways the public can engage with archives both locally and across the country. This is part of the Government’s new vision for archives to be a source of inspiration for everyone. So, this year we’ll also be accepting submissions for shorter highlights that might be of interest to current or potential users of archives, raising awareness of archives nationwide.
For these highlights, we’d love for you to tell us about any of your projects, achievements or highlights from the last 12 months. This could include any:
- community outreach or engagement projects
- use of archives as inspiration e.g. for books, performances, design etc.
- exciting collections accessioned, rescued or catalogued
- innovative use of technology or heritage science
You may also tell us about projects that public audiences can get involved with next year such as:
- free exhibitions
- public engagement projects or large-scale volunteering opportunities
- new/revamped archive buildings or spaces to visit.
These suggested categories are not exhaustive. All types of highlight will be considered for inclusion!
Tell us a bit about your project below and we will decide which publication your project is best suited for (if your project is selected for a case study, we will work with you to create a first draft so there's no need to send anything too polished at this stage!) Both publications will be widely distributed and will act as effective advocacy tools that showcase your great work.
For all submissions, we'll need at least one good-quality image that you can give us permission to use. Please note that, since space is limited, we cannot guarantee that any particular project will make it into the finished editions.
Please only include one project per submission form. However, your archive service can submit multiple projects using a different form for each project.
