Jon Hosking Research Award 2026

The NEAF Jon Hosking Research Award is established to assist an eligible candidate with research funding support for specific fieldwork, travel, and/or laboratory analyses, and/or publication of the archaeology and/or coinage of the ancient Near East.

The NEAF Jon Hosking Research Award is made possible by the generous bequest to NEAF of Jon Hosking, following his early death due to illness in 1989.

While his main career was with Qantas, Jon had a passion and energy for archaeology which he devoted to practical contributions to fieldwork, research, photography, and research publication. Jon’s research interests focused particularly on classical archaeology, Egypt and numismatics of the ancient Near East.

Jon was a keen supporter of Middle Eastern archaeology at The University of Sydney. He was an integral part of the Pella in Jordan Australian archaeological excavation team during the 1980s and also gave tremendous support to further the efforts of NEAF.

Jon’s commitment to archaeological excavation, research and publication in the ancient Near East continues through the kind generosity of his bequest.

Benefits

The NEAF Jon Hosking Research Award will have a maximum value of up to A$15,000. The exact value of the grant will be outlined in the recipient’s Award Offer Letter.

Eligibility

The NEAF Jon Hosking Research Award is made available to assist eligible candidates to pursue their research into and/or publication of the archaeology and/or coinage of the ancient Near East.

a. Applicants must be at a post-graduate level or higher

b. Applicants must be affiliated with an Australian or New Zealand University as a PhD candidate, or in a post-doctoral role (researcher, tutor, research assistant or affiliate), or have held such a position within the last ten years.

c. Applicants must be undertaking research into and/or publication of the archaeology and/or coinage of the ancient Near East.

d. Applicants must be applying for funding for a specified research project.

e. The applicant must be applying for funding for expenses and support which are specified in the proposed budget.

Selection Criteria

The NEAF Jon Hosking Research Award will be determined based on the applicants:

a. Academic merit

b. Research proposal and other application documents stated in the “How to Apply”.

Preference will be given to applicants experiencing financial disadvantage.

The Award will be determined by the Director of NEAF, or their nominated delegate(s), in consultation with the NEAF council.

Application information

Applications for the NEAF Jon Hosking Research Award 2026 should be emailed to the NEAF email address below by the closing date of Friday 30th October 2026 and must include the following:

- Project proposal, including 200 words on how being a recipient of the NEAF Jon Hosking Research Award would enhance the applicant’s career (2 x A4 pages)

- Detailed budget and itinerary, including travel plans where relevant (1 x A4 page budget summary + 1 x A4 page budget justification)

- Current resume (maximum 2 pages)

- Two references provided in support of the applicant’s submission (note: for PhD candidates, one of these must be from the applicant’s PhD supervisor)

Contacts

Email address for applications: neaf@archaeology@sydney.edu.au

For any queries about this award please contact Professor Alison Betts at

alison.betts@sydney.edu.au or Dr Joseph Lehner at joseph.lehner@sydney.edu.au

Further information https://neaf.sydney.edu.au/supporting-neaf/