BC Heritage Awards

BC Heritage Awards 2021

The BC Heritage Awards celebrates outstanding achievements and best practices that have impacted and strengthened all forms of heritage as a valued cultural resource in communities throughout British Columbia.

The BC Heritage Awards recognizes the achievements of individuals, organizations, groups, businesses, and local and regional governments in communities across BC.

Nominations for the 2021 BC Heritage Awards will open on Monday, September 14.

Award Categories

Awards are presented in four categories (see below for additional information):

• Conservation: recognizing the best practices of built heritage rehabilitation, rejuvenation, re-use, and environmental resilience.
• Education, Communications, and Awareness: recognizing excellence in programming that advances the appreciation, understanding, and practice of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
• Heritage Professional: this award is presented in two categories
  • Planning and Management: recognizing individuals or organizations that have produced reports, studies and other efforts that demonstrate best practices of innovations and traditions, community consultation, long-term sustainability, building resilience, and accessibility, and who advance the diversity and inclusivity of heritage.
  • Lifetime Achievement: recognizing those individuals who have made a career-long, cumulative impact and contribution to the practice and understanding of heritage.
• Distinguished Service: recognizing long-time volunteers for their significant contributions and leadership in their communities.

Conservation

• For the preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, or adaptive reuse of historic places, sites, and cultural landscapes.
• For high standards of heritage conservation based on the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada and Building Resilience: Practical Guidelines for the Retrofit and Rehabilitation of Buildings in Canada.
• For innovation and commitment to heritage conservation that also contributes to environmental, economic, social and/or cultural sustainability. Examples of connecting heritage and sustainability include: climate change adaptation and mitigation; environmental resource management; downtown/main street revitalization; design and adaptation for affordability and accessibility; community or arts and culture spaces.

Education, Communication and Awareness

• For increasing awareness and support for historic places, cultural heritage, and tangible and intangible heritage.
• For an achievement in heritage education or interpretation through social media, publications, displays, exhibits, or other products or activities to promote all forms of heritage.
• For community engagement, collaboration, partnerships, or public involvement

Heritage Professional: Planning and Management

• For individuals or organizations that have produced reports, studies and other efforts that demonstrate best practices of innovations and traditions, community consultation, long-term sustainability, building resilience and accessibility and, through their work, advance the diversity and inclusivity of heritage.
• For community heritage planning and cultural and heritage resource management
• For planning initiatives which support the long-term conservation of heritage resources through conservation plans, community plans, zoning, or financial incentive

Heritage Professional: Lifetime Achievement

• For individuals who have made a career-long, cumulative impact and contribution to the practice and understanding of heritage.

Distinguished Service Award

• For exemplary volunteer commitment by an individual to heritage conservation, through leadership in public awareness, heritage education or interpretation, or heritage advocacy.

Levels of Recognition

There are three levels of recognition for the award categories.

• Outstanding: for excellence
• Honour: for high achievements
• Recognition: for noteworthy achievements

Eligibility and Process

Projects nominated for an award must have been completed within the past three calendar years (preceding the nomination deadline). Nominated individuals must live in British Columbia and sites must be located in the province.

The nominations submitted to the BC Heritage Awards are considered by a  jury of peers, who will base their deliberations on the information as submitted. Incomplete nominations (e.g. nominations with insufficient information) will not be considered; it is important that each submission provides sufficient information to describe why the project/person suits the category and why the project/person is worthy of an award. The jurists will consider the alignment to the above criteria and the completeness of the submitted information.

If you have questions about the BC Heritage Awards form or process, or would like to discuss your potential nomination, please contact Heritage BC. We will be happy to help you.

Information You Need to Know

• No more than two nominations may be made by the same nominator in each year.
• The nominations are becoming increasingly competitive. A good tip to keep in mind is to ‘sell’ your nomination so the jurists understand your excitement and can clearly recognize the accomplishment.
• It is up to the nominator to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the information provided – this includes the list of nominees – please be accurate. Once the form is submitted, you will receive a copy of your submitted information by email. If you wish to update your information, please contact Heritage BC.
• All decisions are final. Submissions may not be re-nominated in subsequent years; repeat nominations will be disqualified.
• Separate phases of large projects may be nominated, as long as they are clearly different from previously nominated work.
• Following the completion of the jury review, nominators and successful nominees will be notified by email. Announcements will be made in late December or early January.