The Churches Conservation Trust has won Grand Prix laureate recognition at the prestigious Europa Nostra Awards at the ceremony in Oslo this week.
Europa Nostra writes:
The winners of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards 2015 were celebrated this evening during a high-profile event at Oslo City Hall. The European Heritage Awards Ceremony was co-hosted by Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, and Denis de Kergorlay, Executive President of Europa Nostra, on behalf of the President of the organisation, Placido Domingo, who unfortunately had to cancel his attendance due to family circumstances. The Maestro sent a special message to congratulate the 30 winners.
The event was honoured by the presence of HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. The Mayor of Oslo Fabian Stang and the Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Tine Sundtoft welcomed an audience of 600 heritage professionals, volunteers and supporters from all over Europe. The entire ceremony was live streamed on the Europa Nostra YouTube channel.
During the ceremony, the seven Grand Prix laureates and the Public Choice Award winner, chosen from among this year’s winning projects, were announced.
The seven Grand Prix laureates, selected by independent juries and entitled to receive €10,000 each, are:
- Category Conservation?? Liszt Academy Of Music In Budapest, Hungary?? Salt Valley Of Añana, Basque Country, Spain?? Armenian Church Of St. Giragos In Diyarbakir, Turkey
- Category Research And Digitization ?? Wonders Of Venice: Virtual Online Treasures In St. Mark’s Area, Italy?Category Dedicated Service ?? Rundling Association, Jameln, Germany?? Churches Conservation Trust, London, United Kingdom
- Category Education, Training And Awareness-Raising ?? Programme For Owners Of Rural Buildings In Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia
The Public Choice Award, chosen in an online poll conducted by Europa Nostra, goes to the conservation of the Nuragic Sculptures of Monte Prama in Sardinia, Italy.
The EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards was presented to 28 winners from 15 countries taking part in the EU Creative Europe programme. Europa Nostra Awards were also given to two projects from European countries not taking part in that programme, namely Armenia and Russia.
In his special message for the laureates of the awards Europa Nostra’s President Placido Domingo stated: ‘We celebrate your talents and skills and we honour your vision and courage. Each of you has made a real difference! Each of you has shown the way to be followed by others across Europe, and indeed across the globe.’ He added: ‘The time has come for Europe – both for the European Union and the Council of Europe – to develop hand in hand an ambitious strategy for Cultural Heritage, in close partnership wíth and active participation of civil society. It is our shared goal to continue building the policy momentum for heritage in Europe. 2018 will – we all hope – be the European Year of Cultural Heritage.’
EU Commissioner Tibor Navracsics stated: ‘Since 2002, with the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards, the European Commission and Europa Nostra have celebrated exceptional examples of conservation, research, education, training and awareness-raising of Europe’s cultural heritage. This year the choice was particularly challenging. The quality and diversity of the projects highlight once more the high levels of skills and dedication which characterise Europe’s heritage sector. The value of heritage is not only symbolic; it has a positive impact on economic growth, social cohesion and the quality of life in our regions and cities. We should therefore keep supporting the heritage sector, also for the benefit of future generations. I congratulate all the winners, and especially the Grand Prix laureates and the Public Choice Award winner.’
