Lucy Hughes
Esri Young Scholar Award 2026 Winner
James Cook University, Cairns
Lucy completed her BSc and BA (Hons) at the University of Auckland. Her Honours research focused on the identification of palaeotsunami deposits in archaeological legacy data in Central East Polynesia. After graduating, Lucy gained experience working as a contract archaeologist in the Bay of Plenty, Aotearoa New Zealand, working mostly on early Māori horticultural and settlement sites.
In 2023, Lucy moved to Australia to start a PhD project at the Nguma-bada campus of James Cook University in Cairns with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) and now, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF). This project aimed to develop a geospatial database of stone-walled fish traps in the Wellesley Island region in the Gulf of Carpentaria working in partnership with Lardil, Kaiadilt, Yangkaal, and Gangalidda Traditional Owners and Wellesley Islands Rangers to develop a best practice methodology for the recording and maintenance of stone-walled fish traps.
Her amazing use of ArcGIS showcased how geospatial technologies can be used to protect the environment and sacred cultural sites. It was this project, titled "Constructed Seascapes: Understanding Fishtrap Construction, Use, Condition and Futures in the Wellesley Islands Region, Gulf of Carpentaria", that made her the winner of the Esri Young Scholar Award 2026, greatly impressing the judging panel with its innovation and real-world impact.