Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award Grant

Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Costume Society of America
Amount: Up to US $1,350
Last Updated: October 15, 2025

Summary

The Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award honors outstanding scholarship by recognizing the best abstract proposal presented at the annual symposium. Open to all CSA members, this award includes a $750 honorarium, a $600 travel stipend, and complimentary registration for the presentation day. Established in 2015, it commemorates Mrs. Betty Kirke, a notable fashion designer and author, supporting research that advances knowledge in diverse fields within the costume studies community.

Overview

The Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award recognizes exceptional scholarship. It is given every year to the author(s) of one abstract proposal accepted at the annual symposium. It is open to all CSA members who conduct research from different perspectives and advance knowledge in the areas of studies covered by CSA. The Abstract Committee for each symposium selects the winning abstract proposal before the symposium based on the highest rated selection in the peer-reviewed process. The author(s) of the research receive a $750 honorarium, a $600 travel stipend, a certificate, and day-of-presentation registration fee, endowed by Mrs. Betty Kirke and managed through the CSA Endowment. The funds will be divided and distributed evenly amongst the authors. The award was established in 2015 and is named for its contributor, Mrs. Betty Kirke, who had careers as a fashion designer, costume conservator and author in New York City. Her book, Madeleine Vionnet, generated one of the most fascinating and unconventional assessments of a designer’s mind and won CSA’s Millia Davenport Publication Award in 1999. Her careful measuring of distorted garments cut on the bias led to the production of multiple patterns that were then analyzed to produce new knowledge on Vionnet’s approaches, unattainable through traditional research.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. the author(s) of an abstract must be CSA member(s) at the time of the abstract due dateone or multiple authors must send an abstract proposal to an annual symposium (please follow instructions and deadlines to comply to this requirement)when an abstract is selected, one or multiple authors must present it in person at the symposiumabstracts for oral research papers, oral design research papers, panels or discussion sessions, virtual exhibition tours, and research exhibits, including design research exhibits, will be considered You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. The author(s) of an abstract must be CSA member(s) at the time of the abstract due date.