The Preservation Celebration

Historic Seattle’s Preservation Celebration, formerly known as the Preservation Awards, benefits the organization’s mission to save meaningful places that foster lively communities. At the event, honorees are also recognized with awards for their achievements throughout the preceding year in historic preservation.

The 2020 Preservation Celebration Benefit will rock The Showbox in Fall 2020!
Date to be announced – stay tuned.

Ticket, table, and sponsorship information will be made available in May. In the meantime, submit your nominations for Preservation Awards by Thursday, April 30.

Call for Preservation Award Nominations

At the Preservation Celebration Benefit, Historic Seattle presents awards to honorees selected from nominations received in the following categories: Best Preservation Project; Preservation Champion; Community Investment; Preserving Neighborhood Character; Community Advocacy; Best in Neighborhood (a rotating category specific to the neighborhood where the annual benefit is held – for 2020, Downtown).

Rules By Category:

Best Preservation Project      

To be eligible in this highly competitive category, the project must be a rehabilitation, restoration, or adaptive reuse of a historic property older than 25 years in the Puget Sound region. The project must have been completed between January 1, 2019 and May 2020. It must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Preservation Champion         

Only individuals are eligible for this award (not companies, groups, or other organizations). To be eligible, the nominated person must have contributed significantly to the field of historic preservation locally and reside in the Puget Sound region.

Community Investment      

This award recognizes the commitment of individuals, companies, groups, and/or other organizations to the preservation and/or revitalization of their communities.

Preserving Neighborhood Character 

This category recognizes a single preservation project, generally smaller-scale, that contributes to the character of its neighborhood. The project must have been completed between January 1, 2019 and May 2020.

Community Advocacy

This award is reserved for grassroots groups, community organizations, or non-profits that work on preservation advocacy issues within their area of service or interest. To be eligible, the nominated entity must have made significant efforts in the field of historic preservation locally between January 1, 2019 and May 2020.

This award includes a prize of $3,000 for the selected recipient. For this nomination to be considered complete, the applicant must submit a short summary (3 to 5 paragraphs) detailing the entity’s intended use of the funds. To be eligible for the prize, the entity must be either an incorporated non-profit organization or unincorporated citizen/advocacy group. More information about documentation requirements will be provided in May to the selected award recipient.

Best in Neighborhood: Downtown 

This category focuses on a different location each year in order to recognize preservation work in the neighborhood where Historic Seattle’s annual benefit event is held. Nominees may include individuals, groups, companies, and projects that have contributed significantly to neighborhood character and historic preservation efforts in the specific community, this year Downtown.

How to Apply/More Details:  

In May, Historic Seattle’s Benefit Committee – comprised of members of the organization’s Council and Foundation Board – will meet to review nominations and select award recipients. Please email your nomination(s), including all required materials and information, to Naomi West by no later than April 30, 2020 for consideration.

Applications must contain:

  • Name of Project/Person/Group
  • Nomination Category
  • Property Owner (for relevant categories)
  • Address (for relevant categories)
  • Team working on project (if available/relevant)
  • Short Description of project/person/group (3 to 5 paragraphs)
  • Why does this project deserve to be honored by Historic Seattle?
  • Photos (up to 4, including historical images and before/after state of project if relevant)
  • Nominator’s contact information

Applications must be complete for consideration. You may submit the same nomination for multiple categories if applicable. Self-nominations are allowed. If nominating another party, please consult with the relevant property owner/person/entity/project team prior to submitting your nomination. If selected for an award, a representative must attend the benefit event in order to accept it (one complimentary ticket is provided for each award category).

Top photo: the 2019 Preservation Celebration at the Georgetown Ballroom, courtesy of Sticks & Stones Photography.