Abbott Lowell Cummings Prize: Deadline December 15, 2014
The Abbott Lowell 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. The nomination deadline for the 2015 Cummings Prize is December 15, 2014. For a full description of eligibility and application procedures please click here.
Pamela H. Simpson Presenter’s Fellowship: Deadline January 1, 2015
Since 1989, the VAF Board of Directors has allocated funding for financial assistance to students and young professionals presenting papers at VAF annual conferences. Awards are intended to offset conference and travel cost for students, and to attract developing scholars to the organization. In 2015, the annual conference will be held in Chicago, June 3-7, 2015.
In memory of Pamela H. Simpson, whose commitment to mentoring young scholars touched the lives of numerous students and colleagues, the VAF Board of Directors has renamed the Annual Presenter’s Fellowships the Pamela H. Simpson Presenter’s Fellowships.
The application deadline for the 2015 Simpson Fellowship is January 1, 2015. For a full description of eligibility and application procedures please click here.
Ambassador Awards: Deadline February 1, 2015
The VAF Ambassadors Awards provide funding for student groups (undergraduate and graduate) from North American institutions, with a faculty sponsor, to attend VAF's annual conference which will be held in Chicago, June 3-7, 2015.
We hope through this program to enhance the VAF's recruitment of students, to diversify the membership and interest in the work of the VAF, to provide support to programs that teach vernacular architecture, and to increase the VAF's visibility on campuses.
The application deadline for the 2015 Ambassador Award is February 1, 2015. For a full description of eligibility and application procedures please click here.
Paul E. Buchanan Award: Deadline February 15, 2015
The Paul E. Buchanan Award was instituted by VAF in 1993 to recognize contributions to the study and preservation of vernacular architecture and the cultural landscape that do not take the form of books or published work. Hundreds of studies, reports, documentation projects, restoration plans, National Register nominations, exhibits, video/digital media productions and public programs are completed each year without the benefit of distribution or recognition beyond the limited audience for which they were commissioned. Nonetheless, many of these efforts can serve to inform and inspire us all. The award is named for Paul E. Buchanan who served for over thirty years as the Director of Architectural Research at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Buchanan set the standard for architectural fieldwork in America and inspired many VAF members in the rewards of fieldwork. This award honors the valuable work that most of our members and professional associates perform.
The application deadline for the 2015 Buchanan Award is February 15, 2015. For a full description of eligibility and application procedures please click here.
Catherine W. Bishir Prize: Deadline December 15, 2014
The Bishir Prize, named for longtime members and influential scholar Catherine W. Bishir, is awarded annually to the scholarly article from a juried North American publication that has made the most significant contribution to the study of vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes. In judging the nominated articles, the jurors look for an article that is based on primary research, that breaks new ground in interpretation or methodology, and that contributes generally to the intellectual vitality of vernacular studies. Entries may come from any discipline concerned with vernacular architecture studies. Articles published in the two years prior to the VAF annual conference are eligible for consideration.
For a full description of eligibility and application procedures please click here.
Award for Advocacy
The Vernacular Architecture Forum encourages and supports citizen efforts to protect our vernacular built heritage. The protection and preservation of our vernacular built heritage depends on good stewardship by property owners supported by sound government land use policies. However, the long-term preservation of our cultural heritage is rarely achieved without the support of a well-informed, involved citizenry.
The VAF seeks to encourage citizen-based advocacy by recognizing exemplary efforts and achievements on behalf of our vernacular built heritage. The VAF Award for Advocacy honors individuals and groups for exceptional contributions toward the appreciation and protection of vernacular buildings and landscapes. The award recognizes outstanding initiative, commitment, and action to promote and protect vernacular resources. The award may be made in recognition of a specific advocacy effort, or on the basis of the nominee's long-term record of advocacy.
For a full description of eligibility and application procedures please click here.
