2015 Awards scheme sets new records: 270 applications from 33 countries
The 2015 edition of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards has set new records for participation and outreach. A total of 270 applications were submitted by organisations and individuals from 33 countries across Europe. The number of entries is the highest since 2002, when the Awards Scheme was launched. Never before have projects from so many countries been received.
The juries for the categories Conservation and Education, Training and Awareness-Raising will meet in Bruges on 18-19 February. Photo: Market Square, Dennis Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0
In regard to the categories, Conservation has the most entries (132). It is followed by Education, Training and Awareness-Raising (78), Research and Digitization (39), and, finally, Dedicated Service (21). The number of applications doubled in the Education, Training and Awareness-Raising category as well as in the Research and Digitization category in comparison with last year.
Concerning the countries, Italy is first in the ranking, with 49 projects submitted, followed by Spain, with 41 applications. The United Kingdom occupies third position (19 entries), the Netherlands fourth (16 entries), and France is in fifth place (14 entries). The number of applications from Central Eastern European countries has registered a significant increase. Applications were submitted from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, among others.
The members of the Awards juries will meet in the coming two weeks to choose the award-winners. The jury for the Dedicated Service category will gather in The Hague on 10 February; the juries for the Conservation category and for the Education, Training and Awareness-Raising category will assemble in Bruges on 18-19 February; and the jury for the Research and Digitization category will meet in Brussels on 20 February.
This year’s up to 30 winners will be unveiled by the European Commission and Europa Nostra through a joint press release in mid-April.
The winners of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2015 will be honoured on the evening of 11 June at a high-profile ceremony at the Oslo City Hall, internationally-known for hosting the Nobel Peace Prize event. The President of Europa Nostra, Maestro Plácido Domingo, and the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, will jointly present the awards to the winners
The 7 Grand Prix laureates will be publicly announced during the European Heritage Awards Ceremony. The winner of the Public Choice Award, to be chosen in an online poll conducted via the Europa Nostra website from mid-April to the end of May, will also be revealed on this occasion.
The award-giving ceremony, which will be enhanced by an artistic performance, will be attended by heritage professionals, volunteers and supporters from all over Europe as well as by high-level representatives from EU institutions and Member States.
The EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards is supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
