Call for Nominations: VAF 2027 Catherine W. Bishir Prize

The Vernacular Architecture Forum (VAF) is seeking nominations for their 2027 Catherine W. Bishir Prize. This prize will be presented at their annual conference next year. The recipient will receive a full complimentary registration including tours and the banquet for the VAF conference and a certificate of excellence.

The Bishir Prize, named for longtime member 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. The Bishir Prize was awarded for the first time in 2012.

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. Please note that essays published as chapters in a book are also eligible if the volume is peer-reviewed, published within the time parameters specified, and the research presented in the essay is new. Anthologized collections are not eligible. 

Call for Nominations

Does your work contribute to the study of vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes? Have you published a scholarly article on the subject in the last two calendar years? You may be eligible for the Bishir Prize from the Vernacular Architecture Forum. 

Peer reviewed articles published January 1, 2025 or later will be eligible for nomination for the 2027 prize.

To nominate an article or self-nominate please submit the following:

• A Word document providing contact information, publication data (title of journal, or name of book and publishing company if an essay in a larger collection) including date of publication.
• PDF copy of the published article including illustrations.
• A brief statement contextualizing the author(s) and article.

Nomination materials should be submitted to the Catherine W. Bishir Prize Committee at bishirprize@vafweb.org. The deadline for nominations for the 2027 Bishir Prize is December 1, 2026.