UNESCO accepts submissions for the 2023 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. In the forthcoming edition, the “Special Recognition for Sustainable Development” and un-updated range of criteria to acknowledge more predominantly the role and contribution of cultural legacy to sustainable development within the wider framework of 2030 Agenda is introduced by UNESCO.

Therefore, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Preservation reveres outstanding efforts by individuals and organizations to renovate and preserve structures, sites and properties of historic and heritage value in the region. It also persuades others who own property of heritage value to initiate preservation projects within their communities, either independently or by finding public-private partnerships.

From 2000 onward, the program awarded 256 winners from 27 countries special awards for their exhaustive understanding of places, meaningful achievements, and remarkable contributions to the conservation of cultural heritage.

Submission deadline: 30 Jun 2023

Result: November 2023

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Host Institution: UNESCO

Benefits and Awards Categories Available for

Ultimate winners will be released in November in the levels of achievement below:

1: Awards of Excellence: it is the highest awards level presented to projects that demonstrate outstanding achievement in all criteria and has an enormous impact at the national or regional levels.

2: Awards of Distinction: is granted to the projects displaying exceptional achievement in all noteworthy criteria and also has a great effect at the national or regional level.

3: Award of Merit: this acknowledges the projects undertaken with supreme achievements in all criteria.

4: The Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts is presented to newly initiated projects that best match with utmost observed criteria, are designed outstandingly and are well integrated into historic grounds. Additionally, completed new architecture and designs that enhance the existing heritage setting can also be submitted. Building annexes, new buildings, new public spaces and new structures, such as bridges, are all considered eligible.

5: The Special Recognition for Sustainable Development is being recognized in the 2021 Awards cycle to reward projects that reveal significant achievement in the Awards criteria and have contributed significantly to sustainable development.

Eligibility/ requirements of UNESCO Cultural Heritage competition

Projects considered eligible for this awards must meet the following criteria:

• Must have been completed within the past ten years;
• Projects, considering the awards regulations, must involve the private sector; and
• Projects of diverse types such as commercial and institutional buildings, historical town and villages, houses, etc. are known eligible for entry to programme;

Apply also:

• Sheikh Hasina Youth Volunteer Award 2021 for Young Volunteers and Organizations (5 Prizes of 2500 USD)
• RIBA Norman Foster Scholarships 2021 for International Architecture Students (£7,000 award)
• Global Development Awards Competition 2021 for Researchers (45,000 USD in Funding)
• UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize 2021 for Promotion of Social Science Research (12,000 USD)
• AMPS Challenge for Improving Power Systems Reliability for Innovators and Engineers Worldwide (250,000 USD prize)
• Global Student Prize 2021 for Extraordinary Students Worldwide ($50,000 prize)

Which countries are eligible?

Afghanistan, Australia,Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Island, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Viet Nam

Submission guideline

Entries for this year’s Awards program require to be submitted online prior to the deadline.

What needs to be presented?

• Online submission form,
• The project dossier along with relevant supporting documents including a description of the project in the formal format,
• Drawings and photographs of the project both in hard and soft formats need to be emailed to UNESCO Bangkok,

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY HERE.

Similar opportunities: 

• Yidan Prize  for Research and Development in Education Worldwide (HK$60 million)
• Global Sustainability Scholarship for Master Degree in Denmark (€5000 Award)
• Roux Prize for Contributions in the Health Sector ($100,000 prize)

Link

For more information about UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, please visit the UNESCO website .