Vernacular Architecture Forum Awards

The Vernacular Architecture Forum (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. 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. A selection committee will choose winning recipients based on the strength of the proposals, considering especially the goals of the award program outlined above. The amount of money awarded to each program is at the discretion of the selection committee, but shall depend on such factors as the distance needed to travel to the annual conference site, the number of students involved, the number of Award applicants, and the funds available to the Award program.  The total award amount per institution is limited to $2500 with a maximum of $500 per student.  We encourage, but do not require, that Ambassadors apply for matching funds from their institutions. During the conference, Award recipients are encouraged to use social media to communicate with a broader audience about their experiences as a participant in the conference. Following conference attendance, Award recipients are expected to act as “ambassadors” for the VAF, working to promote the study, documentation, and preservation of ordinary buildings and landscapes.  Each group of Ambassadors must also submit a written summary of its experiences to the fellowship chair.  The summary, as well as a group photograph, will be published in the Vernacular Architecture Forum’s newsletter.   Schools awarded an Ambassadors Award in 2011 or thereafter will not be eligible for an award the following academic year.  For application instructions please go here. DEADLINE FOR 2019: JANUARY 5, 2019

In an effort to bring fresh voices to the study of vernacular buildings and landscapes the Vernacular Architecture Forum Access Award supports first-time attendance by scholars and students with limited professional exposure to the fields of architectural history and vernacular studies, as well as by practitioners and independent scholars in the field. The next meeting, Landscapes of Succession, will take place in Philadelphia, PA, May 29 – June 1, 2019. There is no geographic restriction on the award and local practitioners, scholars, and students may apply. Winners are not required to give a paper at the meeting, although they may. The award will cover the cost of registration for the conference including tours. Winners who live more than 50 miles from the conference site will also receive a stipend of $300 for travel and lodging, to be presented at the conference. Up to two awards will be given per year. Winners, including those giving papers at the meeting, are required to write an article to be published in the VAF’s newsletter, VAN, discussing what they learned as first-time attendees.Applications should consist of a C.V. or resume and a one-page letter detailing how the candidate heard about the Access Award, why he or she qualifies, and what interests him or her about attending a VAF meeting.   Materials should be submitted as email attachments in Word or PDF format to accessaward@vafweb.org. Questions about the award may also be directed to that address. The deadline for applications is January 5, 2019