Prizes and Grants
Applicants are asked to submit the following materials for consideration:
A CV (curriculum vitae).
Project summary, including a title, list of goals, list of products, and discussion of the expected project impact (two pages max)
Project timeline, including a description of which portion of the initiative would be covered by the grant (one page)
Project budget, including a description of which portion of the initiative would be covered by the grant (one page)
List of additional funding sources to which the applicant has applied or will apply to ensure the successful completion of the project (one page).
AVISTA START Grant
The AVISTA START (Science, Technology, and Art Research/Teaching) Grant is a new award that provides up to $3,000 USD in seed funding for the initial stages of a long-term scholarly project. It is sponsored by Robert E. Jamison, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Clemson University, in collaboration with AVISTA (the Association Villard de Honnecourt for the Interdisciplinary Study of Medieval Technology, Science, and Art).
APPLICATIONS DUE: March 15, 2026
The grant is open to any Ph.D.-holding researcher (full-time faculty, part-time faculty, or independent scholar). Eligible projects must engage the intersection of science, technology, and art or architecture in the medieval world—with a preference for initiatives that feature a public—facing component. Examples include, but are not limited to, publications, exhibitions, symposia, conferences, public demonstrations, research resources, and teaching resources.
The submission deadline is Sunday, March 15, 2026. Complete applications will be reviewed by AVISTA’s Grants and Awards Committee. The winning recipient will be notified in mid-April and announced at AVISTA-sponsored events at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in mid-May.
All questions and applications should be sent to:
Sarah Thompson at: avistatreasurer@gmail.com
NOTE ON FILE SUBMISSION: Please submit PDF files when appropriate with the file named as LAST NAME first, then the item.
Example: SMITHdescription.pdf, SMITHbudget.pdf, SMITHcv.pdf
NOTE ON FILE SUBMISSION: Please submit PDF files when appropriate with the file named as LAST NAME first, then the item.
Example: SMITHdescription.pdf, SMITHbudget.pdf, SMITHcv.pdf
A parallel grant is available via The International Center of Medieval Art (ICMA). Students may apply for both the ICMA and the AVISTA grants but would be eligible to receive only one of the awards.
Graduate Student Research Grant
This grant is for the study of art and architecture across borders in the medieval world.
APPLICATIONS DUE: October 15, 2026
This grant of $750 is intended to support an early-stage graduate student’s research on the theme of art that crosses the borders or peripheries of the medieval world. Funds should support research and/or dissemination of scholarship, which may include expenses for conference travel, site visits, or archive visits. The award includes a one-year gift membership to AVISTA.
We are grateful to Robert E. Jamison, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Clemson University, for underwriting this grant.
The deadline for submission is October 15, 2026, 5:00pm ET. The winning applicant will be selected by the AVISTA executive committee, and the winner will be notified by November 1, 2026. The accompanying award of an AVISTA membership will extend through the following year. The recipient should submit a short summary of the work accomplished once the grant monies have been used.
Applicants must include:
Description of the project to be undertaken and its relation to the grant’s focus area (about 500 words)
Proposed budget. If the budget exceeds $750, state how you will cover the remaining portion of the cost
A curriculum vitae
All questions and applications should be sent to:
Sarah Thompson at: avistatreasurer@gmail.com
Prior Recipients
2025:
Ariela Algaze, “Glass and Glassworking Technologies in the Multiconfessional Medieval Mediterranean”
Annalise Whalen, “Geospatial Approaches to Intervisibility and Communication Within the Byzantine Fire Beacon System”