HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARDS
Accepting Nominations for
2026 Michigan Historic Preservation Awards
Each year at the Annual Preservation Conference we recognize outstanding contributions to historic preservation in the State of Michigan by projects, individuals, and organizations. We welcome your nominations in seven categories: Building, Tax Credit, Cultural Landscape, Preservation Gem, Citizen, Community, and Government/Institution.
- Nominations close at 11:59 pm on Monday, February 9, 2026.
How to nominate:
- Download the nomination form to your computer (you must download the form, it cannot be filled out online)
- Review the nomination categories, requirements, and additional information on pages 1-3 of the nomination form.
- Complete the nomination form on pages 4-5 including all required information. A checklist of materials to be submitted is provided on the final page of the nomination form for your convenience.
- Upload the completed nomination form, description text, photographs, and optional supporting documents.
- There is no fee to submit a nomination.
If you have any questions or encounter any difficulties during the nomination process, please contact Awards Coordinator Ruth Mills (contact information provided in the nomination form).
The MHPN Awards Jury meets in February to review the nominations. Submissions are evaluated using the criteria listed in the nomination form. Applicants will be contacted by mid-March and successful nominees will be provided with further information about their award and details of the ceremony and presentation.
On the evening of Friday, May 8, 2026, join the MHPN in Grosse Pointe Shores to celebrate the best of historic preservation in Michigan at the festive awards ceremony during the Annual Preservation Conference. Gather with colleagues, friends, and fellow award winners for drinks and hors d’oeuvres, followed by the ceremony. We also invite you to stay for the entire conference! Watch this website or follow us on social media for more information.
Awarded to an outstanding building preservation project completed within the past three years. The project may be restoration or rehabilitation, must include exterior rehabilitation work and may also involve interior work.
Awarded to an outstanding preservation project completed within the last three years that includes restoration or rehabilitation of an element of a building, or of a structure or an object: for example, a front porch, major window rehabilitation, or single interior room, or a commercial facade, theater marquee or similar single commercial building element, or of a structure or object, or other project that does not include a complete building or landscape rehabilitation.
Reserved for an outstanding individual who, through personal effort and/or involvement in historic preservation projects, has made a significant contribution to the preservation of Michigan’s heritage.
Presented to a community; i.e. neighborhood association, business preservation group, historical society, etc., that has engaged in a comprehensive plan for historic preservation related projects.
Presented to agencies, cities and/or institutions who by their actions have accomplished significant positive changes in the historic preservation climate and activity in the State of Michigan.
Awarded to an outstanding cultural landscape preservation project completed in the last three years. Cultural landscapes can include a wide range of special places ranging from gardens, parks, heritage areas or corridors, scenic byways and thousand-acre rural landscapes to quaint homesteads and front yards. The nominated project should be a restoration of a prior existing historic landscape or the preservation of a landscape of some historical or cultural significance.
Awarded to an outstanding building preservation project completed within the past three years. The project may be restoration or rehabilitation, must include exterior rehabilitation work and may also involve interior work. Must include qualified use of federal and/or state tax credit programs.