The Inaugural Arts Impact Award was presented to Milija Gluhovic from Theatre Studies for his project Eurovision and the New Europe. This AHRC funded network brought together international scholars and contest stakeholders to discuss the ways in which the Eurovision Song Contest reflects and influces cultural, social and political changes happening in Europe over the last 20 years. The project received extensive international media coverage including the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and der Speigel, which in turn encouraged public discussion about the project team's main research questions.

The award was presented at the Arts Faculty Lunch, Wednesday June 22nd  

Short List of Candidates for Inaugural Arts Impact Award 2011

Milija Gluhovic, School of Theatre and Performance Studies, Eurovision Song Contest and the New Europe

Eleonora Belfiore, Centre for Cultural Policy Studies, Social impact of the arts; cultural policy making; theoretical and historical approaches to understanding contemporary cultural policy

Anne Gerritsen, Department of History, Global Jingdezhen: local manufactures and early modern global connections

 

Background and rationale

University research in the arts and humanities makes important societal contributions – from broadening knowledge about diverse cultures to re-evaluating government policies – many of which go unrecognized. Further, many arts and humanities academics take steps to share their research, both the process and the outcomes, with members of the public regardless of the agenda proposed by the UK government and its research councils.

The rationale behind the Arts Impact Award is to recognize arts researchers for the time, hard work and thought they put into engaging the public with the benefits of their research, and which is not otherwise rewarded within the university.

By recognising this important aspect of researchers’ work, it will help strengthen research-related impact as a core component of the university's research plans, and also place it at the heart of all research projects. It will encourage academics to reassess the ways in which research projects are created, carried out and disseminated so that they are conducted in such a way as to bring the greatest amount of benefits to the greatest number of people.

This is the first year in which the award will be presented. It is hoped that it will become an annual event which recognizes the excellent public engagement and myriad benefits arts researchers make to the community.

Criteria for Award Winners

Because of the time lag and typical long-term nature of research-related impact, this award seeks to recognize those individuals who have undertaken public engagement with the intention of achieving the greatest possible impact in innovative or interesting ways, rather than recognizing the achievement of impact itself.

Over the past academic year, 2010/11, nominated researchers should have:

• Involved the public in an aspect of their research
• Made efforts to disseminate research findings to non-academic audiences
• Involved the public through engagement or dissemination activities that are related to the researcher’s general research interests
• Activities may be related to one specific research project or a funded research project but not necessarily

This year's winner will be selected by the Chair of the Faculty of Arts, Dr Stella Bruzzi, and the Chair of the Arts Faculty Research Committee, Professor Michael Hatt.