Call for Entries: 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation

20 FEBRUARY, 2017, BANGKOK,– Submissions are now being accepted for the 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

The Awards recognize the efforts of private individuals and organizations that have successfully restored or conserved structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region. The Awards emphasize the importance of the conservation process, including the technical achievements and quality of the restoration, as well as its social impact, including community involvement in the project.

The deadline for receipt of materials is 30 June 2017.

To apply for the 2017 Awards, please access APPLICATION PACKAGE and select the category that you will apply.

Entries for the 2017 Awards programme must be submitted to UNESCO Bangkok by 30 June 2017, using an official entry form, a description of the project in the official format (available at either of the above URLs), drawings and photographs in hard and softcopy formats.

Winners will be announced in early December 2017 in the following categories: “Award of Excellence”, “Award of Distinction”, “Award of Merit”, “Honourable Mention” and “Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts”.

UNESCO has received 677 entries from 25 countries since the Awards were established in 2000. A total of 196 projects have received awards for exemplary achievements in cultural heritage conservation, while 11 have received the Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts (previously known as the Jury Commendation for Innovation).

Site eligibility regulations were revised this year, reflecting a growing awareness in the conservation field of the need to recognize the importance of cultural heritage that is less than 50 years old. For both Conservation category and New Design in Heritage Contexts category, projects that are completed within the last 10 years are now eligible to apply. Houses, commercial and institutional buildings, historic towns and villages, archaeological heritage sites and cultural landscapes, for example, are all suitable for entry. The awards aim to encourage local people to undertake conservation projects within their communities, either independently or by seeking public-private partnerships.

The Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts is given to newly-built structures that demonstrate outstanding design, which is well-integrated into historic contexts. Submissions of completed new architecture and designs that enrich the existing heritage setting are encouraged. Building annexes, as well as new extensions, new buildings, new public spaces and new structures, such as bridges, are all eligible for consideration.

Last year, a total of 39 projects from across Asia and the Pacific were submitted for awards consideration, with 13 projects from 6 countries recognized.

The Award of Excellence was given to Sanro-Den at Sukunahikona Shrine in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan.

Two Awards of Distinction were given to

-       Taoping Qiang Village, Sichuan Province, China, and

-       St. Olav’s Church, Serampore, India.

Three Awards of Merit recognized

-       Cama Building, Mumbai, India,

-       Walls and Bastions of Mahidpur Fort,  Mahidpur, India and

-       Shahi Hammam in Lahore, Pakistan.

Honourable Mentions went to

-       Wu Changshuo Residence Archeological Site, Zhejiang Province, China,

-       Fudewan Miners’ Village, Zhejiang Province, China,

-       Liu Ancestral Hall, Sanmentang Village, Guizhou Province, China,

-       Old Tai Po Police Station, Hong Kong SAR, China,

-       Doon School Main Buiding, Dehradun, India, and

-       Darugheh House in Khorasan Razavi, Iran.

The Brewery Yard in Chippendale, Australia, received the 2016 Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts.