CSA Millia Davenport

Publication Award

The Millia Davenport Publication Award recognizes and promotes excellence in the publication of costume, dress, appearance, and fashion related scholarship. The award is given annually to a newly published book or exhibition catalogue that makes a significant contribution to the above studies, reflects original thought and exceptional creativity, and draws on appropriate research methods and techniques.

The author of the winning book receives a certificate and a $750 honorarium, funded by the CSA Endowment. The author is invited to speak at the CSA National Symposium the following year and receives a $600 travel stipend and day-of-presentation registration fee, also funded by the CSA Endowment, to help defray travel and symposium expenses.

The Millia Davenport Publication Award, first given in 1991, is named in honor of Millia Davenport (1895-1992), noted costume scholar, theatre designer, and founding member of the Costume Society of America. Her theatre work brought her international acclaim. She established and catalogued the library at the American Museum of Folk Art. Her major published work, The Book of Costume (1948), was a pioneering visual history of Western fashion from ancient civilizations through the late nineteenth century; it remains a standard reference.

Eligibility
To be eligible a book must be:
- newly nominated; previously considered books may not be re-nominated
- a published book or exhibition catalogue by single author, multiple authors, or an edited book with contributors
- on a subject pertaining to any aspect of costume (history, theatre, fashion, design, etc.) but reflecting the goals and philosophy of the Costume Society of America
- a scholarly work, with proper citations of sources and, as needed, bibliographic information, indices, glossary, and appendices
- must be published between July 15th of the prior year and October 15th of the current year
- published in English for practical reasons
- by an author who is a citizen of the Americas or has been a member of the Costume Society of America for at least five consecutive years directly prior to the nomination; in the case of a multi-authored work, a majority of authors must be citizens of the Americas or members of CSA for at least five consecutive years directly prior to the nomination; in the case of edited books, a majority of both editors and contributors must be citizens of the Americas or members of CSA for at least five consecutive years directly prior to the nomination
- the author or authors who are citizens of the Americas do not have to be members of CSA
Eligible books will be evaluated on:
- significance of the subject
- quality of scholarship
- appropriateness of research methods and techniques
- quality of writing
- originality
- creativity of treatment
- organization and documentation
- appropriateness of illustrations
- quality of illustrations
Nomination Procedure
A complete nomination should be uploaded as one (1) pdf document under 100 MB using this online submission form that includes the following in listed order:
- The nominator's contact information (name, email address, and phone number)
- Publication Title
- Date of Publication (Eligible books must be published between July 15th of the prior year and October 15th of the current year)
- Name of Author or Authors (please note that eligibility is contingent on the majority of authors being citizens of the Americas or members of CSA for more than 5 years)
- Name and Location of Publisher
- Name and contact information for an individual from whom review copies and a pdf may be requested, if known. Nominations will not be sent to the committee until a pdf of the publication has been provided by the author or publisher.
Award Schedule

The nomination deadline is October 15, 2023. The committee chair will review the pdfs of the books to confirm their eligibility. Publishers of eligible books are then asked to send copies to the six committee members who serve as jurors. Authors and/or publishers are notified that their book has or has not received the award by the end of February 2024. The award-winning book is announced at the CSA National Symposium. The author of the award-winning book receives a certificate, the honorarium, and an invitation to speak at the CSA National Symposium in 2025.