Since 2005, the Fund for Cultural Management at the University of Antwerp has awarded a prize for an unpublished study on cultural management. Through this award, the fund "looks to stimulate the quality of management in the arts and cultural sector and give opportunities to young researchers".

The Fund awards a master's thesis and a doctoral study on cultural management alternately, year-on-year, and in 2018 PhDs were eligible for this prestigious award.

Following two separate 'discussion rounds' Dr Laura Gibson from the Department of Digital Humanities was included in a three-strong shortlist for her PhD thesis Decolonising South African Museums in a Digital Age: Re-imagining the Iziko Museums' Natal Nguni Catalogue and Collection. And after the final deliberation, Laura was chosen by the jury as 2018's winner.

In their selection, the jury used the following argumentation:

• The research questions are highly relevant and clearly defined. The conclusions and recommendations are qualitative and useful and contribute globally to the field of arts and cultural management.
• The innovative methodology is based on various scientific approaches and offers a thorough scientific analysis.
• The study presents an important and challenging topic, both for South Africa and globally. Therefore, the importance of the study cannot be underestimated.
• The study was well written and presented in a qualitative and comprehensive way.