Awards and Fellowships

The VAF's Award for Advocacy encourages citizen-based advocacy by recognizing exemplary efforts and achievements on behalf of our vernacular built heritage.   

VAF Ambassadors Awards provides funding for faculty-sponsored student groups (both undergraduate and graduate) from North American institutions, to attend VAF annual conferences. 

The Catherine W. Bishir Prize 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 landscape.

The Paul E. Buchanan Award recognizes contributions to the study and preservation of vernacular architecture and the cultural landscape that do not take the form of books or published work. 

The Abbott Lowell Cummings Prize, named for the founding president of the VAF, is awarded annually to the newly-published book that has made the most significant contribution to the study of vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes of North America.

VAF offers the Orlando Ridout V Fieldwork Fellowships to help cover expenses either projects or fieldwork training.

The Henry Glassie Award, named for the renowned vernacular architecture scholar and folklorist, recognizes special achievements in and contributions to the field of vernacular architecture studies. It is awarded intermittently, as deemed appropriate by the VAF Board of Directors.

The Simpson Presenter's Fellowship allocated funding to offer partial financial assistance to students and young professionals presenting papers at VAF annual conferences.