Awards & Eligibility

The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society sponsors four awards.

• The Byron Cummings Award is given in honor of Byron Cummings, the principal professional founder of the Society, the first head of the University of Arizona’s Department of Archaeology (later Anthropology) and the first Director of the Arizona State Museum.
  
  The Byron Cummings Award may be given for outstanding research and contributions to knowledge in anthropology, history, or a related field of study or research pertaining to the southwestern United States or northwest Mexico.
• The Victor R. Stoner Award is given in honor of Reverend Stoner, a strong avocational historian, supporter of the Society and one of the founders of Kiva. The Victor R. Stoner Award may be given for outstanding contributions in leadership or participation in the Society; fostering historic preservation; or bringing anthropology, history or a related discipline to the public.
• In 2017 AAHS established the Alexander J. Lindsay, Jr. Unsung Hero Award. This award is given in honor of Dr. Lindsay, a long-time southwestern archaeologist, AAHS member and Officer. It recognizes lifetime service of those individuals whose tireless work behind-the-scenes has often gone unrecognized, but which is critical to the success of others’ research, projects, and publications.

The AAHS Awards Committee handles the nominations process for these three awards which are presented annually at the Pecos Conference.

The AAHS Board of Directors annually may present one or more Katherine Cerino Awards.  This award is given in honor of Katherine Cerino, an extraordinary volunteer who has given innumerable hours to the Society over many years in a variety of roles. She has worked tirelessly to chair the Library Committee and as a member and chair of the Research and Travel Grants committee.  She fulfilled the role of Vice President for Activities for multiple years, set up the AAHS email and she has managed the AAHS website and helped to plan a website redesign. Volunteers like Katherine are a rarity and this award is given to others in honor of all of her hard work supporting the Society.  The award is given to recognize people who have volunteered their services or made other contributions on behalf of the Society and its programs for at least the previous two years.