UNESCO Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation competition/award 2023

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. It encourages property owners to undertake conservation projects within their communities, either independently or by public-private partnerships.

Since it was first established in 2000, the Awards program has recognized 278 projects from 27 Asia-Pacific countries for their thorough understanding of their sites; their sound technical achievements; and their demonstration of social, economic and environmental impacts at all levels.

In recognizing these practices, the Awards program has contributed to meaningful achievements in advancing a regional 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.

About UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. UNESCO’s programs contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

Political and economic arrangements of governments are not enough to secure the lasting and sincere support of the peoples. Peace must be founded upon dialogue and mutual understanding. Peace must be built upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity.

Benefits

• The Award of Excellence represents the highest recognition in the Awards program and is presented to projects that display exceptional achievement in all criteria, and that demonstrate a 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 are making a significant impact at the national or regional level.
• 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 and are well integrated with historical contexts. Submissions of completed new architecture and designs that enrich an existing heritage setting are encouraged. Building annexes, new extensions, new buildings, new public spaces, and new structures – such as bridges – are all eligible for consideration.
• The Special Recognition for Sustainable Development was introduced in the 2020 Awards cycle to recognize projects that demonstrate noteworthy achievement in the overall Awards criteria and promise a significant contribution to sustainable development. Projects that are submitted to either the Conservation or the New Design category of the Awards program are eligible for this recognition.

Requirements

• Projects entries must have been completed within the last 10 years (February 2013 – June 2023 if pre-existing use was retained, or June 2022 if a project has a new use).
• Houses, commercial and institutional buildings, historic towns and villages, archaeological sites and cultural landscapes, for example, are all suitable for submission.

How to Apply

Entries for the 2023 Awards program must be submitted via the online entry platform before the deadline.

In addition, the project dossier with supporting documentation, including a description of the project in the official format, and drawings and photographs in hard and soft copy formats, should be posted to UNESCO Bangkok by mail and be postmarked no later than 30 June 2023.

Application Deadline