The awards scheme will be expanded to include an award for the best project in each county. Projects will be assessed on their local reach and community engagement, educational value and the level to which they involve different age groups.
Making the announcement, the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said: “There is a strong network of local Heritage Officers around the country, who work hard to support communities in protecting and promoting local heritage. The county awards should help stimulate interest and healthy competition within communities.”
National Heritage Week projects need to be completed before 15 August, when they will begin to be showcased. Formats for showcasing may vary from online talks or exhibitions, to a video, podcast, slideshow presentation or blog, to media coverage, a dedicated website or moderated social media account, or by means of small, restricted social gatherings, which comply with official public health advice.
In addition to county awards, the following award categories will apply to the 2020 awards:
Heritage Hero: awarded to an individual or organisation that has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of heritage in Ireland. This award will be based on nominations received from members of the public.
Heritage on your doorstep: awarded to the heritage project that best explores an aspect of heritage – natural, built or cultural – in a locality, and which is shared with the wider community.
Relearning skills from our heritage: awarded to the project that best explores heritage skills, crafts or traditions in a locality, and which is shared with the wider community.
The heritage of education: awarded to the project that best explores the history of education in a place of learning in a locality, and which is shared with the wider community.
Water heritage: awarded to the project that best explores how a canal, river, lake or the sea shapes an important part of the heritage in a locality, and which is shared with the wider community.
A judging panel, convened by the Heritage Council, will consider submitted heritage projects for awards under the categories above. Awards will be announced in October 2020.