The county award category will recognise those projects that promote awareness of, and engagement with heritage in the community. The winners in each county will have maximised the involvement of a community in the project development or execution and increased awareness of an aspect of heritage in a community. Project organisers might choose to create something unique, or to build on an existing heritage project, or heritage networks in a community.
In addition to county awards, the following award categories will apply to this year’s awards:
- Heritage Hero: awarded to an individual or organisation that has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of heritage in Ireland. This award will be based on nominations received by members of the public.
- Heritage newcomers: awarded to an individual or a group who have not previously participated in National Heritage Week, and who demonstrated considerable interest and innovation in their first encounter with the week.
- Heritage sharing: awarded to the project which connected with an individual or a group in the community which is normally excluded from heritage; or a project which explored an aspect of local heritage that is seldom considered or celebrated.
- Heritage for all ages: awarded to a National Heritage Week project which successfully included participants from different age groups.
- Water Heritage: awarded to the project that best explores how a canal, river, lake or the sea shapes heritage in a locality, and which is shared with the wider community.
- Wild Child: awarded to a National Heritage Week project which successfully encourages children and families to drop the devices, jump off the couch and get outdoors for and explore the heritage in their locality.
All participants who successfully upload a heritage project on the National Heritage Week website by Monday, 30th August 2021 will be considered for a National Heritage Week Award. Projects will be assessed on the basis of their local reach and community engagement, educational value and the level to which they involve different age groups.
A judging panel, convened by the Heritage Council, will consider submitted heritage projects for awards under the categories listed above. Awards will be announced in October 2020.
