The Vernacular Architecture Forum seeks nominations or entries for the Abbott Lowell Cummings Book Prize. The Cummings Prize, named after the founding president of the VAF, is awarded annually to the publication that has made the most significant contribution to the study of vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes. In judging the nominated books, the jurors look for a publication that is:
- based on primary research,
- emphasizes fieldwork that takes seriously the materiality of architecture and landscapes, and draws on particular elements of environments as evidence,
- breaks new ground in interpretation or methodology, and
- contributes generally to the intellectual vitality of vernacular studies in North America
Entries may come from any discipline concerned with vernacular architecture studies. Books published from January 2015 through December 2016 are eligible for consideration. Edited collections of previously published materials are not eligible.
The deadline for the 2017 Cummings Prize is December 15, 2016.
There is no application form, but a cover letter should include a complete mailing address, phone number and email address in order to notify the candidate should the nominated work receive the award.
Books should be sent directly to each of the three committee members for the Cummings Prize. Please contact the committee chair with any questions at cummingsprize@vafweb.org.
2017 Cummings Prize committee:
Ryan Smith, chair
Department of History
Virginia Commonwealth University
811 S. Cathedral Place
Richmond, VA 23284-9105
Annmarie Adams
School of Architecture
McGill University
815 Sherbrooke St. West
Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 0C2
*To avoid customs charges for the book recipients, please ensure the shippers pay all duties and taxes. The parcels must arrive Delivered Duty Paid (DDP).
Robert Saint-George
History Department
University of Pennsylvania
1 College Hall, Room 208
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6379
For more information please see the awards section of the VAF website.
