Preservation Awards
Each May, Preservation Massachusetts recognizes and celebrates the efforts and accomplishments of those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic resources through our Preservation Awards Program.
Since 1988 Preservation Massachusetts’ highest honor, the Paul & Niki Tsongas Award, has recognized the very best in historic preservation efforts, individuals and achievements across the Commonwealth. Our other awards include the Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award, Charles W. Eliot Award, Robert H. Kuehn, Jr. Award and the Frederick Law Olmsted Award, each honoring a specific preservation related theme, goal or project.

2021 Preservation Awards:
Now Accepting Nominations
Preservation Massachusetts is pleased to announce we are accepting nominations for our 2021 Preservation Awards. Nominations are due by 5:00 PM on Friday, March 5. This year's nomination form is entirely online. If you are interested in submitting a nomination, we strongly encourage you to review our Nomination Prep Document, which provides nominators a way to prepare, refine and organize their responses and documents prior to submittal.
How to submit a 2021 Award Nomination:
1.) Download our Nomination Prep Document for review
2.) Prepare your responses, supplemental documents, narratives, etc.
3.) Access the online form and fill it out at the link below.
2021 Preservation Awards Nomination Form
Note: Since there is no way to save your progress once you begin filling out the online form, we strongly suggest preparing your answers in the Nomination Prep Document.
4.) Submit the form along with all required attachments.
A staff member will confirm receipt within 1-3 business days.
If you feel you cannot submit a nomination using our online form, please contact Erin Kelly (ekelly@preservationmass.org) and we will work with you.
Nominations are due Friday, March 5 at 5:00 PM
2020 Preservation Awards: Building Blocks of Preservation
The 2020 Preservation Awards Program, Building Blocks of Preservation, was a two-week multimedia celebration of the many people, organizations, projects, technologies and communities that come together to achieve excellence in historic preservation. The 2020 Awards Recipients represent the strong foundations and supportive collaborations that bring new life to our historic buildings and landscapes, push boundaries, and create new aspirations for historic preservation in the Commonwealth. This year we celebrated the 2020’s awardees in new and innovative ways that champion their accomplishments and inspirations more broadly and that encourage increased engagement within the broader preservation community.
Below you can learn more about this year's special and unique approach to our awards, our fabulous awardees and how donations and sponsorships support preservation work across Massachusetts. Hover over the images below for more information and links.
Our 2020 Awards culminated in Preservation LIVE on October 22. Click to view the event.
View past awardees & themes