On April 18, 2026, ICG President Kevin Roche presented the ICG’s highest honor, the ICG Lifetime Achievement Award, to Steward Hartman. The award was announced during the ICG 2026 Annual Meeting.
The award is made in recognition of the role he’s has played for nearly three decades in build an extraordinary visual record of our competitions, displays, and hall costumes through his costume photography, and directing the halftime photo-run at costuming conventions including Costume-Cons with calm efficiency so that every costumer receives the attention they deserve while keeping the show moving smoothly.
View his LAA award page to learn more about him and watch the award announcement video.
Below is the text of Kevin Roche’s announcement.
Hello! I’m Kevin Roche, President of the International Costumers’ Guild.
One of the unique responsibilities and privileges of being president of the ICG is administering the selection process for and presentation of the International Costumers Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a body of achievement in the costuming art and service to the costuming community. Candidates for the award:
- Shall have been active in the costuming community for at least 10 years.
- Shall have achieved significant recognition for their costuming skills, which may be in the form of, but not restricted to, competitive awards, professional accomplishments, teaching of skills, and/or media recognition.
- Shall have made significant contributions in service to the costuming community.
Any ICG member, chapter or special interest group in good standing may nominate candidates; the selection is done by the Chapter Presidents and elected ICG officers via secret ballot administered by the President.
This year we, again, had several deserving nominees, and it is my privilege tonight to announce the 2026 recipient.
Our artform is profoundly ephemeral, and much of its history would vanish without the dedicated members of our community who capture it for posterity. Among those invaluable documentarians, few have contributed as consistently and generously as the recipient of the 2026 ICG Lifetime Achievement Award.
For nearly three decades, they has been a constant presence at Costume-Con, quietly and meticulously recording the full breadth of our creativity. Beginning in the era of film—when they still managed to produce hundreds of images each year—and continuing through the transition to digital photography, our honoree has built an extraordinary visual record of our competitions, displays, and hall costumes. Their coverage is both comprehensive and thoughtful: thousands of images from each event, with dozens of detail shots capturing the craftsmanship of a single entry. And something uniquely precious to the Archives: reliable costumer identification, thanks to their practice of photographing each participant’s badge.
Beyond these archival contributions, our honoree is frequently the familiar figure directing a halftime photo-run with calm efficiency so that every costumer receives the attention they deserve while keeping the show moving smoothly.
This skill, dedication, and collaborative spirit led to this icon being made the official ICG Archive Photographer beginning with Costume-Con 32—a role he has fulfilled with distinction ever since. His work preserves not only our images, but our history.
For this, and for his decades of service to the community, it is my honor and privilege to announce that the recipient of the 2026 International Costumers’ Guild Lifetime Achievement Award is Steward Hartman.
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