News » CELJ Best Special Issue Award won by “Vibrant Ecologies of Research,” the first special issue of Ground Works
Winner: “Vibrant Ecologies of Research,” the first special issue of Ground Works
The number and quality of submissions for the 2022 CELJ Best Special Issue Award was truly impressive, making adjudication both delightful and difficult. We were inspired by the range of topics and approaches. In making our decision, we considered the clarity of editorial vision, the significance of contribution, whether or not an issue was conceptually interesting beyond a single field, formal and methodological innovation, and evidence of collaborative engagement across individual contributions to the broader project of the issue.
The award review committee found “Vibrant Ecologies of Research,” the first special issue of Ground Works, remarkable among a strong field of contenders. Ground Works is a relatively new online open-access journal that publishes peer-reviewed media-rich articles on research projects at the intersection of the arts and other fields. This special issue makes clear the importance of providing a generative space for work that does not fit in traditional disciplinary journals or galleries. The overall thematic concept and the ways in which it was presented was innovative and insightful. Comprised of five peer-reviewed projects and three invited commentaries, the special issue presents an ‘ecological’ approach to understanding the nuanced interconnections of interdisciplinary research and practice, and the exciting scholarly possibilities of arts-integration. The committee was particularly taken with the interactive and dynamic aspects of the special issue, creative use of visual artifacts, and strong collection of individual articles and commentary.