BLACKSBURG, Va., Aug. 9, 2007 – Virginia Tech's International Archive for Women in Architecture (IAWA), a departmental research and outreach center in the School of Architecture + Design, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, announces a call for Milka Bliznakov Prize proposals.
Architects, scholars, and researchers are invited to honor IAWA founder and Virginia Tech Professor Emerita of Architecture Milka Bliznakov through their research on women in architecture and related design fields. Their research, in concert with the preservation efforts of the IAWA, will help fill the current void in historical knowledge about women's professional achievements.
The archive encourages this research in addition to its goal of preserving archival materials related to the work of women who shaped the "built and designed" environments, thus preserving for posterity a record of their achievements.
The board of advisors of the IAWA presents this annual prize of $1,000 following a two-stage process. First, applicants register their proposals, which outline the work they plan to complete within the coming year. The second stage occurs the following year, when applicants submit their completed projects. The prize-winning entry is selected from among these projects.
A 500-word proposal, with curriculum vitae, must be received or postmarked by November 1, 2007. Proposals may include an original project, research, or scholarly work that contributes to and advances the recognition of women's contributions in design. The board encourages proposals that draw upon or expand the IAWA collections and reflect upon the broader context of women's contributions in the field of design. The product of the work should be specified in the initial proposal.
The IAWA jury awards the Bliznakov Prize for the completed project that best demonstrates an important advancement to the recognition of women's contributions to architecture and the related design fields, while encouraging the use and growth of the IAWA. The final project must be received by November 1, 2008.
Proposals should be forwarded in two forms-by electronic submission to ddunay@vt.edu and hard copy by mail to: IAWA Executive Committee, Attn: Donna Dunay, AIA, Chair, Milka Bliznakov Prize, School of Architecture + Design, Mail Code 0205, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061. For more information, contact Donna Dunay, professor of architecture and IAWA chair, or visit the IAWA website..
The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is one of the largest of its type in the nation. The college is composed of three schools and the Department of Art and Art History, part of the multi-college School of the Arts. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design, interior design, and landscape architecture. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The Myers-Lawson School of Construction, a joint school of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering, includes programs in building construction and construction management. The college enrolls more than 2,000 students offering 25 degrees taught by 160 faculty members.