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Visual Resources Association 2026 Land Acknowledgement

An online conference means we can connect with one another from many different places. As the Visual Resources Associationmeets for our 2026 Conference, Zooming In, we acknowledge that cultural heritage work has both a colonial history and present. Particularly in a year when many of us attend this conference from our own homes and workplaces, it is incumbent upon us to lessen the ongoing, harmful impact of settler colonialism in our work.

Both individually and collectively as a profession, there are things we can do.

What members of VRA can do:

  1. Support and uphold ethical stewardship:

    1. engage in critical cataloging 

    2. pursue equitable partnerships

    3. appropriately enhance the visibility of underrepresented artists

    4. facilitate the repatriation of stolen collections

    5. work to mitigate the climate impact of visual resources work

  2. Support the hiring, retention, and promotion of your Indigenous colleagues

  3. Join the Equitable Action Committee

  4. Investigate tribal and cultural groups on whose lands you work and live:

    1. Native Land Digital: https://native-land.ca/

    2. Bureau of Indian Affairs: https://biamaps.geoplatform.gov/Tribal-Leaders-Directory/


Donation Links:

In support of The National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive (NIBSDA) the Visual Resources Association has donated $400 to The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

Please consider supporting these additional organizations: 

Resources:

About Visual Resources Work

About Land Acknowledgements

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Apply now for the 2026 VRA Travel Awards!✨

We are delighted to announce that VRA Travel Awards are available for attendance at the 2026 VRA Virtual conference October 5-9, 2026!

Though the VRA conference is virtual this year, we realize that members and other attendees may still need some help with registration fees.  The application submission deadline is August 24 at 11:59 pm EDT​. Apply here today!

The list of recipients will be announced on the VRA listserv the on September 17.  If you have applied for a travel award in the past, most of the application will look very familiar. But, with no need for hotel and airfare and full budgets, we have simplified the application. Please also note that award checks are scheduled to be mailed to recipients after on October 5th.  Do try to register during the Early Bird period that ends on September 5th.  Contact our committee at travelawards@vraweb.org with any questions.

You do not need to be a member of the VRA to apply for a Travel Award. We recommend you to review the Rules & Guidelines below before applying.


VRA 2026 Travel Award Rules & Guidelines

Eligibility

 Travel awards are available to members and non-members (including international applicants). Here’s a link to the VRA membership page: http://www.vraweb.org/membership/

  • Conditions Upon Receipt of a VRA Travel Award

  • Applicants will need to register for the conference before awards can be given.  Award checks will be mailed on 5 October 2026.

  • Award monies are intended for conference registration.

Tips for Completing Your Application

We can’t wait to read your application! We find that successful applications have a few specific qualities, and here are some of the most important things to keep in mind: 

  • Please be as precise as you can with your answers. 

  • Be as specific and thorough as possible in your Conference Goals Statement. 

    • Your response should range from 250-500 words. 

    • Tell the Committee how certain workshops, sessions, and roundtables will directly benefit the work that you do in your collection or academic program. 

    • Avoid generalizations such as “I will get to talk with colleagues about their digitization projects” or “I hope to learn about copyright law.” We want to know the specifics of why and how these conference opportunities will benefit your career. 

    • Be brave! Participate in the Conference as a presenter, moderator, or volunteer. Connect with your VRA colleagues.  Consider joining a committee and attending its meeting. And be sure to note your intended participation in your Conference Goals Statement. 

    • Think about other ways you might give back to VRA in advance, and mention this in your Conference Goals Statement. Some ways to give back include: 

      • Writing an article for inclusion on the VRA website or in the VRA Bulletin.

      • Facilitating a meeting or other conference event. 

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It's VRA Awards Season! Call for Nominations 🥇

The VRA Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2026 Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award. These awards exist to honor outstanding efforts and people in visual resources that may otherwise go unrecognized. 

1)    The VRA Distinguished Service Award honors an individual who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field of visual resources and image management. Nominees must have achieved a level of distinction in the field either through leadership, research, or service to the profession. Recent award recipients include:

2)    The Nancy DeLaurier Award honors a single professional or a group of professionals for distinguished achievement in the field of visual resources. “Achievement” may take the form of published works, oral presentations, digital humanities projects, open-source solutions, software development, technology applications, website creations, or other outstanding efforts. Recent award recipients include:

  • Trans Metadata Collective, in recognition of their role in the research and development of Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources in 2024.

  • Lael Ensor-Bennett and Kendra Werst for exceptional leadership on the Equitable Action Committee and for founding the innovative and inclusive Community Hour Discussion Series in 2022. 

  • Asfaneh Najmabadi for founding, guiding, developing, and sustaining the Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran (WWQI) Digital Archive in 2022.

How to Apply

Nominations for both the Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award are submitted in the form of a dossier. This dossier must include:

  • The nominee’s curriculum vitae

  • A cover letter of nomination describing how the nominee meets the criteria, written by the nominator(s)

  • Letters written in support of the nomination

  • Documentation in support of the nomination, if applicable 

Nominations are accepted electronically via e-mail or file hosting service. After the submission deadline, members of the VRA Awards Committee review the submitted dossiers. The Awards Committee then makes recommendations to the VRA Executive Board.

The dossiers for the 2026 Distinguished Service Award and the 2026 Nancy DeLaurier Award are due by Friday, September 4th and should be sent to: vra.awards@gmail.com.

If you have any questions or need help, please contact any member of the Awards Committee. We’re happy to help with the nomination process.



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VRA 2026 Call for Proposals is Open!

The Visual Resources Association invites proposals for our 2026 Annual Conference, to be held virtually October 5–9th.

The submission deadline is Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 11:59 PST.

View the Call for Proposals

Submit a Proposal

We encourage you to reflect on your experiences, ideas, and expertise! We welcome submissions from VRA members and non-members, seasoned attendees and first-timers, as well as from students, independent scholars, professionals in any stage of their career, and retirees.

Please direct any questions about the submission process to VRA’s Directors for Events & Initiatives at initiatives@vraweb.org

Proposal Types

  • Individual Papers: Individual presentations that may highlight new research, a case study, or an innovative idea relevant to the VRA community. Papers should aim to provide attendees with fresh tools, strategies, or inspiration they can apply in their own practice. Grouped thematically with other individual papers into moderated sessions with a total run time of 60 to 90 minutes, including a Q&A. Maximum of 2 presenters per paper.

  • Lightning Talks: Short (5–7 minute) individual presentations. Lightning talks provide attendees the opportunity to hear about a range of innovative projects or ideas from a broad group of colleagues in a short amount of time. Grouped into sessions that may or may not be themed. Maximum of 1 presenter per lightning talk.

  • Pre-coordinated Panels: Moderated sessions typically consisting of 3–4 presenters speaking for 15 minutes each, followed by a Q&A. Panels provide attendees with diverse perspectives on a single topic, a comparison of tools or methods, or a number of case studies on related subjects. If proposing a panel, it is your responsibility to fill the time with presenters. It is not necessary to identify all potential presenters before submitting your proposal, but conference planners will need names of presenters several months prior to the conference.

  • Workshops: An opportunity to teach and explore a specific tool, technique, workflow, or concept relevant to the VRA community. Workshops are generally 90 minutes to 3 hours, but can be longer if needed. Maximum of 2 instructors. 

  • Meetings: Committees, chapters, and special interest group meetings, typically an hour in length.

  • Tours: A virtual tour of your institution or other place of interest. This might include a collections show and tell; a demonstration of your digital asset management, website, or other platform; or a meet and greet with your workplace colleagues.

  • Social event / other: Be creative! We welcome new ideas in this virtual format. Think along the lines of virtual yoga lessons, arts & crafts time, trivia session, lunch talks, happy hour, etc.

VRA 2026 Virtual Whiteboard

Interested in engaging with the VRA community to develop or refine a proposal or suggest ideas? VRA's Programming Committee (formerly known as the Education Committee) has set up a Virtual Whiteboard where you can brainstorm collaboratively about potential papers, panels, special interest/user groups, workshops, meetings, and poster sessions. Reach out to the Programming Committee co-chairs at programming@vraweb.org if you have any questions about the whiteboard.

Schedule:

  • February 18: Call for Proposals opens

  • March 29: Call for Proposals closes

  • On or around May 15: Notification of final decisions

  • On or around June 8: Tentative program released for conference

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