RHS Public History Prize for Broadcasting

Congratulations to the Legacies of British Slave-ownership project team who have been awarded the Royal Historical Society's Public History Prize for Broadcasting 2015 for their BBC2 documentary 'Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners'. The prize was presented by Amanda Vickery at a ceremony on 27 November 2015. 

The judges said:

"This two part television series tackles an extremely difficult subject in a measured way by showcasing new historical research. It shows in an accessible manner the nature of the evidence, the locations to which it refers, and the value of intensive archival research. It engages with the descendants of slave owners, as well as with historians of slavery in the West Indies who are themselves descended from slaves. It explains the complex economics of slavery and encourages viewers to take a better informed and more critical stance on current economic issues."

Peter Mandler, RHS President, said about the Public History Prizes:

"We live in something like a golden age of public history - a time when academics and other specialists work closely with journalists and the media and vice-versa to satisfy public interest in and raise public understanding of historical questions.  The Royal Historical Society wants to recognize creativity and excellence in this booming field:  to show that the public doesn't need to choose between edification and entertainment, between expertise and accessibility, between style and substance.   We hope these prizes will draw further attention to the most impressive combinations of high-quality research and high-quality presentation."

The PHP judging panel was chaired by Prof Ludmilla Jordanova  and comprised Prof Mary Beard, Dr Alix Green, Prof Aled Jones and Prof John Tosh.  The judges selected prize-winners in the categories of film, broadcasting, museums & exhibitions, and website projects as well as choosing one overall winner from these categories.

LBS also won the Longman-History Today Digital History prize which was awarded on 12 January 2016.

Further information about the prizes