The Ottawa Heritage Awards

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The Ottawa Heritage Awards

The 2025 Awards

The City of Ottawa recognizes outstanding achievements in heritage conservation with the Ottawa Heritage Awards. The application period for the 2023-2024 awards is now open.

Deadline for applications:  Friday, November 1, 2024

There are three types of awards, those that are project-based, one for student-led projects, and one that is for a community member/group. 

Project awards may be presented in seven categories: 

  • Restoration: Returning a heritage resource to its original form, material, and integrity. 
  • Rehabilitation / Adaptive Reuse: Sensitive adaptation of an old building or component for a compatible new purpose while retaining its heritage character. 
  • Infill: New construction in a historic context. 
  • Addition: New additions to historic buildings. 
  • Government: Awarded to a restoration project at a public sector property. 
  • Heritage Grants: Awarded to recipients of funding under the Heritage Grant Program for Building Restoration. 
  • Other: This category is open to projects that contribute to the conservation of Ottawa’s heritage that may not fit into the categories listed above. Projects could include:  
    • Engineering projects (i.e. bridge restoration) 
    • Landscaping projects (i.e. restoration of historic gardens or parks) 
    • Alterations to bring a property into compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (i.e. ramps, or projects to enhance digital access to heritage) 

Some projects may qualify in more than one category. Please note that projects related to properties owned by the federal government will only qualify for the “Government” category. 

Ottawa Heritage Awards entry form [ PDF 685 KB ]

Student-led projects

Awarded to a student or student group that attends a post-secondary institute and is enrolled in a program related to heritage conservation, i.e. architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, engineering, history, or industrial design. 

Projects should be based on the conservation of Ottawa’s built heritage and could be theoretical or studio based. Examples of projects could include the documentation of a heritage site, digitization of heritage resources, skilled trades and construction projects, or adaptive reuse projects.  

Ottawa Student Heritage Award application form [ PDF 138 KB ]

Community heritage projects 

Awarded to an individual or group who has made a positive impact on heritage conservation or has enhanced the community’s understanding of heritage in Ottawa (i.e. heritage walking tours, public art exhibitions, educational programming, blogs or social media campaigns related to heritage, etc.). We encourage individuals or groups who have included histories that are not well represented, such as Indigenous history, women’s history, LGBTQ2S+ history, and history of racialized and marginalized communities to apply. 

Community Heritage Award application form [ PDF 129 KB ]

Projects completed between January 2023 and December 2024 are eligible. Projects must be substantially complete by the submission deadline. Final elements such as landscaping (where it is not integral to the project) may be completed after the deadline. Heritage staff will have the discretion to determine whether a project is substantially complete. If you have any questions regarding the completeness of a project, please contact the Heritage Planning Branch prior to submission.  

Awards will be presented in February 2025. 

For more information, please contact: 

Heritage Planning 
613-580-2463 
heritage@ottawa.ca