European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage

Introduction - The protection and enhancement of European cultural heritage in all its forms - architectural heritage and its related movable heritage, cultural landscapes and archaeological sites - are among the priority areas of the European Union's Culture 2000 Programme.

Organisation - The European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage was launched in 2002 by the European Commission as part of the implementation of the Culture 2000 Programme. Europa Nostra, the pan-European Federation for Heritage, was selected as the organisation responsible for the running of this Scheme on the basis of its long experience in publicly recognising individual or joint excellence in the heritage field.

Objectives - The aims of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards Scheme are to promote high standards of conservation practice, to stimulate the exchange of knowledge and experience throughout Europe and to encourage further efforts through the power of example. It will achieve this by giving public recognition to outstanding initiatives and best practices by either individuals or organisations, which contribute to the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage in Europe.

Prizes and categories - Outstanding heritage achievements will be rewarded by six monetary Prizes of 10,000 Euro each, in addition to Medals and Diplomas in the following categories:

1. An outstanding project in the field of:

• Architectural heritage
• Cultural landscapes
• Collections of works of art
• Archaeological sites
  

2. An outstanding study in the field of cultural heritage

3. Dedicated service to heritage conservation by individuals or groups

Conditions - Criteria for the assessment and the judgement of entries include the quality of the work executed, its cultural, educational and social relevance and the preliminary research conducted. Entries can be on a scale ranging from small to large, local to international, and should display a standard of work which would be considered outstanding in a European context. Projects and studies must be completed within the last three years. The completeness and the presentation of the dossier will be taken into account.

How to participate? The next deadlines for submission of the dossiers are: 15 September 2004 (for categories 1 and 3) and 1 September 2004 (for category 2).