Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards in the US

Deadline: 27-Jan-22

The Oregon Heritage is pleased to launch a call for applications for the Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards to recognize individuals, businesses and organizations for outstanding efforts on behalf of Oregon heritage, drawing public attention to these efforts, and raising the quality of heritage-oriented activities.

The Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards honor those that have made the most of available resources and skills and are given for exceptional and meritorious work by organizations, businesses or individuals.

Nominations are encouraged for organizations and projects of all sizes and heritage purposes and for volunteers and professionals from all heritage sectors.

The Sally Donovan Award for Historic Cemeteries will specifically be awarded for excellence in work preserving Oregon historic cemeteries.

Criteria and Nominations

• For Awards to Individuals
  • Criteria
    • For exceptional, meritorious and extraordinary work over an extended period or at the conclusion of a distinguished career. This work must be on behalf of Oregon heritage and raising the quality of heritage-oriented activities. 
    • For action above and beyond the ordinary call of duty. 
    • Special consideration given for development of new ideas, approaches and innovations. The mere fulfillment of routine functions does not justify an award. 
    • Have made the most of available resources and skills.
  • Nomination: The nomination form for individuals includes five questions:
    • What heritage activities has the individual has taken part in? Describe the individual’s role.
    • How has the individual gone above and beyond the ordinary call of duty? How have their efforts exceeded those of others in the organization or community?
    • How have the individual’s activities improved the organization and the community?
    • How has the individual made the most of available resources and skill?
    • Did the individual utilize any news ideas, approaches or innovations?
• For Awards to Organizations or Businesses
  • Criteria
    • For exceptional, meritorious and extraordinary work over an extended period on behalf of Oregon heritage and raising the quality of heritage-oriented activities. 
    • For action over and above the ordinary call of duty. 
    • Special consideration is given to the development of new ideas, approaches and innovations. The mere fulfillment of routine functions does not justify an award. 
    • Makes the most of available resources and skills. 
    • Previous award winners will be honored a second time only if their new work represents a major improvement above the level for which they were previously honored.
  • Nomination: The nomination form for organizations or businesses includes five questions:
    • What is the organization’s mission and main focus? Describe its programs, staff, and audience/market. 
    • How has the organization or business gone above and beyond the ordinary call of duty? Outline the projects and activities of the organization or business related to heritage. 
    • How does the organization or business benefit, respect and preserve the local community and its heritage? 
    • How has the organization or business made the most of available resources and skill? 
    • Were any news ideas, approaches or innovations used by the organization or business?
• For Awards to Projects
  • Criteria
    • Exceptional and meritorious work by organizations, businesses or individuals on behalf of Oregon heritage and raising the quality of heritage-oriented activities. 
    • For action over and above the ordinary call of duty. 
    • The development of new ideas, approaches and innovations. 
    • Make the most of available resources and skills, and accomplish a high degree of authenticity. 
    • Mere fulfillment of routine functions does not justify an award. For example, building preservation projects must exhibit a high degree of conservation or restoration of original design and materials, with an emphasis on authenticity. A preservation project that involves considerable new design, materials and construction, though perhaps meritorious as an adaptive-use project, will likely not meet this standard of authentic preservation.
  • Nomination: The nomination form for projects includes five questions:
    • What are the project’s goals, objectives, and final products? 
    • What are roles of the various participants involved? 
    • How does the project benefit, respect, and preserve the community and its heritage? 
    • How has this project made the most of available resources and skills, while accomplishing a high level of authenticity. 
    • Were any unique challenges and/or unusual obstacles faced during the project?
• For Recognition of Standout Volunteers: This is a new, non-competitive category for heritage organizations to nominate an outstanding volunteer to get statewide recognition for their contributions to the successes of the organization. All volunteers nominated will be featured in one volunteer appreciation video to be presented at the Excellence Awards event during the 2022 Oregon Heritage Conference. All volunteers nominated will be given a certificate. Given the non-competitive nature of this category, those nominated will not be provided a complimentary ticket to any in person events associated with the conference and the award presentation.
  • Criteria: Only one volunteer per heritage organization allowed for nomination
  • Nomination: Describe the impact this volunteer has had on your heritage organization and/or your heritage preservation efforts.
  • Supporting Material: Provide at least one photo of the volunteer

For more information, visit Oregon Heritage.

For more information, visit https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Pages/Awards.aspx#three