Deadline: 30-Sep-2025
The Future for Religious Heritage (FRH) has launched the Religious Heritage Innovator of the Year Award to honour outstanding achievements in preserving and promoting religious heritage. This award aims to celebrate innovative efforts that enhance the understanding, safeguarding, and celebration of religious places, objects, and traditions across Europe.
Each year, five exceptional projects are selected for their meaningful contributions to religious heritage. FRH’s mission is to encourage European citizens to connect with and protect the religious heritage that plays a vital role in Europe’s cultural identity.
The winner of the award will have their conference participation costs covered by FRH, up to a maximum of €1,000. Eligible applicants include public or private European institutions such as museums, universities, cultural heritage organisations, and tourism boards. NGOs, civil society organisations, creative professionals, and public administrations at all levels are also welcome to apply. Projects may be ongoing or completed and must relate to tangible or intangible religious heritage.
Applications will be judged based on five pillars outlined in the European Commission’s Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage: innovation, sustainability, inclusion, resilience, and cooperation.
Projects that introduce new technologies, social methods, or creative approaches will be valued for innovation. Sustainable projects that focus on responsible tourism, adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, or reducing environmental impact will score well in the sustainability category.
The inclusion criterion focuses on engaging diverse communities, such as youth, people with disabilities, minorities, or marginalized groups. Projects that involve these groups directly or include them in decision-making processes are especially encouraged.
Resilience is measured by a project’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances such as environmental crises or conflicts. The jury will give special attention to initiatives that demonstrate strength and adaptability in the face of such challenges.
Cooperation is assessed through the project’s efforts to build bridges across different cultural, social, or religious communities. Initiatives promoting interfaith dialogue or international collaboration will receive positive recognition.
This award offers an important opportunity for organisations and individuals committed to preserving Europe’s rich religious heritage to showcase their efforts and gain recognition at a European level.
For more information, visit FRH.
