About the Awards
Established in 2000, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation recognize excellent achievement in successfully conserving or restoring heritage buildings and properties in the region by the private sector or by public-private initiatives.
In 2005, UNESCO launched the Jury Commendation for Innovation. The Jury Commendation recognizes newly-built structures which demonstrate outstanding architectural design that is well-integrated into historic contexts.
Since 2000, UNESCO has received 426 entries from 24 countries. A total of 140 projects have received Awards for exemplary conservation efforts, while 7 projects have received the Jury Commendation for Innovation.
The Awarded projects span a wide range of conservation projects from private residences to palace complexes. Over the years, the projects illustrate the increasing momentum and level of conservation in Asia and the Pacific.
The Awards set technical and social benchmarks for cultural heritage conservation in the region. Award-winning projects serve as catalysts and a source of inspiration for private individuals and institutions in conserving cultural heritage throughout Asia and the Pacific.
Objective and Eligibility
The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation recognize the achievement of the private sector and public-private initiatives in successfully conserving or restoring structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region.
To be considered for the Awards, the conserved or restored heritage structure, place or property must be over 50 years old. For settlements and landscapes, the essential historic elements must be more than 50 years old.
The following are eligible for consideration: residential, commercial and institutional buildings; religious properties; urban and rural settlements/historic towns and villages; archaeological heritage; cultural landscapes, parks and gardens; military properties; modern heritage; agricultural, industrial and technological properties; burial monuments and sites; cultural routes; vernacular architecture; and symbolic properties and memorials.
The project must be the result of private sector initiative or public-private partnership. The involvement of private individuals or organizations in terms of ownership, tenancy, financing or other contributions to the project should be clear. Projects which are financed, owned and undertaken wholly by government entities are not eligible.
The work must have been completed within the preceding 10 years at the time of submission. For buildings with a new use, the project must also have been occupied or put to viable use for at least one year at the time of submission.
Entries which have been previously submitted will not be eligible for resubmission unless invited to do so by the Jury, or unless substantial additional restoration has been carried out since the previous submission.