2021 European Heritage Awards

The Ceremony was organised in Venice as a hybrid event, with more than 200 in person attendees. Many more followed online the announcement of the 4 Grand Prix and Public Choice Award winners It was one of the highlights of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2021 that is taking place from 21-24 September.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, warmly congratulated the winners of the European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards for their success and remarkable contributions to our Europe of Culture.

4 Grand Prix winners

The Grand Prix winners, each receiving €10.000 are:

• Wooden Church of Urși Village, Vâlcea County (Romania), a beautiful 18th century wooden church that was exemplary restored using traditional materials and techniques;
• FIBRANET - FIBRes in ANcient European Textiles (Denmark / Greece), an innovative research project on the degradation of ancient fibres, providing both archaeological practice and crucial knowledge to tackle the waste produced by the fashion and textile industries;
• Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage (Cyprus), established in 2008 by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders under the auspices of the United Nations. The committee has successfully restored over 70 monuments, using cultural heritage as a powerful tool for reconciliation and peaceful cooperation; as well as
• Invention of a Guilty Party, Trento (Italy), an exemplary exhibition that shows the relevance of a historical case of anti-Semitism to stimulate critical reflection on the power of propaganda and fake news.

The Public Choice Award

Based on an overwhelming online vote, the Public Choice Award went to “the Wooden Church of Urși Village (Romania)”, a remarkable and inspiring heritage project that allows for the exchange of ideas and knowledge amongst international participants of this collaborative project.

The 2021 laureates were selected among the 24 winners from 18 European countries, announced in May 2021.

The Ilucidare Special Prize

During the ceremony, the two winners of the ILUCIDARE Special Prizes 2021 were also unveiled:

1. HAP4MARBLE − Marble Conservation by Hydroxyapatite (Italy), for excellence in heritage-led innovation; and
2. EU-LAC Museums − Museums, Community & Sustainability in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean (United Kingdom), for excellence in heritage-led international relations.

Background

The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards are funded by the EU’s Creative Europe programme.

ILUCIDARE is a project funded by Horizon 2020.