Applications Invited for 2020 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation

About the Organization:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris. They declared purpose is to contribute to promoting international collaboration in education, sciences, and culture in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.

2020 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation

The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation recognizes exemplary efforts by individuals and organizations to restore or conserve structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region. They encourage other property owners to undertake conservation projects within their communities, either independently or by seeking public-private partnerships.

Since 2000, the Awards have recognized 249 winners from 22 countries for their thorough understanding of the places, sound technical achievements, and significant social and policy impacts at the local, national and regional levels. By recognizing these practices, the Awards have contributed to meaningful achievements in changing the conversation about what constitutes cultural heritage, who has a stake in its stewardship, and how cultural heritage can contribute to the sustainable well-being of cities, societies and the environment.

Award Categories:

Winners will be announced in November 2020 in the following levels of achievement: Award of Excellence, Award of Distinction, Award of Merit, Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts and Special Recognition for Sustainable Development.

• The Award of Excellence is the highest recognition presented to projects that display exceptional achievement in all criteria and has major catalytic impact at the national or regional level. The Award of Distinction is given to projects that demonstrate outstanding achievement in all criteria and has a significant impact at the national or regional level, while the Award of Merit recognizes projects that demonstrate superior achievement in all criteria.
• The Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts is given to newly built projects that demonstrate outstanding design that 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.
• The Special Recognition for Sustainable Development is being introduced in the 2020 Awards cycle to recognize projects that demonstrate noteworthy achievement in the Awards criteria and have a significant impact in contributing to sustainable development. Projects that are submitted to either the conservation or the New Design category of the Awards programme are eligible for receiving this recognition.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible projects must have been completed within the last 10 years.
• Houses, commercial and institutional buildings, historic towns and villages, archaeological sites and cultural landscapes, for example, are all suitable for entry.
• Projects must demonstrate private sector involvement, per the Awards regulations.

Deadline: 30 June 2020.

To Apply for the 2020 Awards and for relevant resources, please visit: http://bangkok.unesco.org/content/apply-awards

For more information please check the Link