Conference & Awards | Society for Museum Archaeology

Portable Antiquities Scheme at 30: Finds, Museums and Public Benefit

Joint conference between Society for Museum Archaeology and the Portable Antiquities Scheme

York Museums Trust on 14th May 2027

Call for Papers

The British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and the Society for Museum Archaeology (SMA) are inviting paper proposals to our joint 2027 conference: Portable Antiquities Scheme at 30: Finds, Museums and Public Benefit. We welcome papers from those working across archaeology, museums and the Portable Antiquities Scheme in professional and non-professional capacities, including from finders and metal detectorists.

Our conference will be held in person and online. Speakers who cannot attend on the day are welcome to submit their paper via a pre-recorded video presentation.

2027 marks the 30th anniversary of the commencement of the Treasure Act, landmark legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland whose primary aim is to ‘ensure that important and significant finds are preserved in museum collections for public benefit’. The Act is enabled by the PAS network of Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs) in England and Wales, created as a pilot project that same year, who take in finds of Treasure and also record other, non-Treasure finds made by the public. Over time, the number of Treasure finds reported each year has increased from 200 in 1998 to over 1,600 in 2025, and the PAS has recorded almost 2,000,000 artefacts on its website, finds.org.uk.

Museums have been a fundamental bridge between the scheme’s aims over the last 30 years. Through hosting many of the Finds Liaison Officers, Assistants, volunteers and placements they act as a bridge between and scheme, finders and the public. Through this partnership museums have supported the Treasure process, acquired objects on behalf of the nation and provided opportunities for public benefit from exhibitions, excavation, public programming and community archaeology.

We are inviting proposals for 20-minute papers covering the intersection of PAS and museum work, and are particularly interested in hearing about the impact of the PAS and the Treasure legislation on museums around the country. Examples might include:

How areas of a museum collection have been enhanced through Treasure/PAS acquisitions
The story of a successful (or unsuccessful) fundraising campaign to acquire a Treasure find
Consideration of the role of museums in the long-term future of finders’ collections
The challenge of coping with the amount of finds coming through the Treasure process
Collaboration of PAS and other museum colleagues on exhibitions or other public events
Challenges and benefits of public engagement.

Please submit proposals for papers by filling out this link by the 1st of November 2026.

If you have any queries or would like to talk through an idea before submitting a proposal, please contact either Elsa Price (Conference Officer) at training@socmusarch.org.uk.

Publication: The SMA publishes papers from its conference as part of a hard copy Journal volume, and subsequently as a digital download, available from the SMA website. Previous editions are available here socmusarch.org.uk/publications/

All speakers are invited to submit their papers for publication in these volumes after the conference: the usual format is 1500 words and up to 6 images with captions. After a number of years where publication has fallen behind, the SMA is catching up on its backlog, so we ask that all potential speakers consider whether they will be able to contribute a paper when they submit a proposal. Development of the Journal in the future may result in opportunities for conference papers that are not submitted this year to be submitted for subsequent volumes.

Expenses: While the SMA welcomes conference papers presented by one or more speakers, it is not possible to accommodate accommodation and travel expenses claims or complimentary conference attendance for more than one speaker per paper.

All speakers will be entitled to all food and refreshments provided as part of the conference catering free of charge.

SMA conference speakers may claim for one overnight stay to facilitate participation in the event. Claims for overnight stays (including breakfast) are capped at £110.00 including VAT.

Claims for travel expenses are capped at £150 including VAT. We encourage speakers to explore low-carbon options (e.g. land-based public transport or car sharing) where possible, and where this does not exceed the expenses limit. If planning to travel by car and claim mileage/parking, please liaise with the Treasurer in advance.

Please note that every effort should be made to arrange travel and accommodation at the lowest possible cost, and to explore travel options in lieu of overnight stays where practicable. Requests for variations or exceptional accommodations (e.g. more than one night of accommodation, or amounts exceeding the usual expenses limits) must be approved in advance. Claims for bookings where costs exceed these limits will be partially paid up to the capped amount unless a prior agreement has been made with the SMA’s Treasurer.

Itemised receipts/invoices should be submitted alongside an SMA Expenses Claim Form as soon as possible following the event. Expenses claims not accompanied by supporting proof of payment may be declined at the discretion of the Treasurer.

SMA AWARDS 2025 – Winners

Congratulations also to our Annual Awards for Excellence winners:

Award for Engagement and Collaboration, dedicated in memory of Pieta Greaves

Runner up: York Museums Trust Medieval Ritual Landscape
(MeRit) is an AHRC-funded project that explores the archaeological evidence for lived religion in medieval England (AD 1000-1600). It is a collaboration between the University of Reading and the British Museum, working with partner organisations in England, Denmark and the Netherlands. Alongside other sources of evidence, key to the project are metal-detected finds recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), examples of which are highlighted by a display at The Yorkshire Museum

Winner: City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service: Edinburgh’s First Burghers: Revealing the Lives and Hidden Faces of Edinburgh’s Medieval Citizens
Celebrating the 900th anniversaries of both St Giles’ Cathedral and The City of Edinburgh, this project brought together new research by The City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service, and scientists and experts from The Francis Crick Institute (aDNA) in London, the University of Aberdeen (Isotopic analysis), and the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh (Forensic Art and Facial Imaging) to reimagine the remains of medieval burials first excavated from around St Giles’ Cathedral in 1981. Craniofacial reconstructions of five early ‘Edinburghers’ were completed by Dr Maria Maclennan (The University of Edinburgh), showcased throughout the Cathedral using new visual projections and lighting designs by Mettje Hunneman (VideoLab Studio), along with a short documentary by Cinetopia featuring interviews with the project team and Cathedral staff, discussing the results and importance of the work to the heritage of the City and the Cathedral. The project culminated in a high-profile public exhibition in St Giles’ Cathedral, running for 6 months (5 June – 30 November 2025)

Award for Exhibitions Project

Runner up: Leicester Museums My Jewellery My Story
Inspired by the remarkable discovery of the 3,500-year-old Bronze Age necklace found in Cossington, Leicestershire, the exhibition My Jewellery, My Story, at Charnwood Museum bridged together the past and present showcasing artefacts alongside creative displays and stories from Leicestershire’s communities.

Winner: Museum of Liverpool “Treasure, History unearthed”.
This exhibition which runs until March 2026 features and variety of artefacts including Bronze Age hoards, Viking gold and silver, a ceremonial gold cape from Mold. It explores the largest collection of archaeological treasure ever shown in the region, with finds from the North-West and North Wales.

Watch our Conference 2019 videos online!

Keynote:The Telling of Human Stories

Archaeology for the People

Norwich Castle

Liverpool: Re-thinking Slums

Lost Landscapes

BC or not BC?

Presenting Prehistory

Beyond the Bling

Treasure

Graffiti

Waiting in the Wings (digital archaeological archives)