İzmir Launches 22nd 'Respect for History' Awards to Honor Heritage Preservation

The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality is set to host the 22nd "Tarihe Saygı" (Respect for History) Local Conservation Awards, an annual event aimed at fostering a culture of preserving the city's rich historical and cultural heritage.

This initiative seeks to highlight the contributions of a wide range of individuals and organizations dedicated to safeguarding historical assets. Awards will be presented to those who maintain family heirlooms, pass down traditional crafts, and work as restoration specialists, researchers, writers, documentarians, and young innovators developing creative projects related to cultural heritage.

Applications for the 2026 awards are being accepted online through www.tarihesaygi.com until the end of the workday on Friday, October 2, 2026. The competition is open to all eligible applications within İzmir province, allowing individuals to nominate themselves or others. Several categories are established, including "Living in a Historic Building Award," "Preserving Traditional Crafts in a Historic Space Award," "Simple Repair Award," "Major Repair Award," "Labor Award," "Contribution to the Preservation of Historic Environment and Cultural Assets Award," and "School Projects on Historical and Cultural Heritage Award."

A distinguished jury comprising academics and practitioners from architecture, urban planning, art history, archaeology, and restoration will evaluate the submissions. The selection criteria will focus on the applicants' contributions to cultural heritage preservation, originality, and sustainability. The jury members include prominent figures such as Prof. Dr. Emel Göksu, Prof. Dr. Deniz Özkut, Prof. Dr. Bozkurt Ersoy, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Sezgin, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hikmet Eldek Güner, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlgi Atay Kaya, and Senior Architect Uluç Pakben.