Call For Nominations
Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area Awards 2026
22nd Annual Heritage Awards
Nominations Due February 20th
Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Awards honor individuals and organizations that make significant contributions to our regional legacy through interpretation, education, preservation, conservation, promotion, research, and/or support. Nomination forms should be submitted by Friday, February 20th, 2026. To review a list of past honorees, please visit our website here.
Hold the Date for our Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation March 19th, 2026
Nomination form: https://forms.gle/p5y8BvLnctKJvugy7
The following award categories are open for nominations: Pat Barland Leadership Award, Heritage Professional of the Year, Heritage Volunteer of the Year, Heritage Site or Organization of the Year, and Heritage Tourism Product Award. Continue reading below for a detailed description of each award.
Pat Barland Leadership Award: Recognizes an individual that has made significant and long-lasting (10+ years) contributions to the heritage community by interpreting, preserving, promoting, researching, and/or supporting local history and heritage in the Chesapeake Crossroads. Supporting documentation should establish the nominee’s legacy, detail their contributions, and describe their standing in the community.
Heritage Professional of the Year: Recognizes an author, archaeologist, architect, artist, exhibits/publications designer, historian, natural resource professional, preservationist, professional staff person, or researcher, for significant professional contributions to heritage interpretation, stewardship, and/or education in the past year. Supporting documentation for this category should include a resumé and an appropriate work sample.
Heritage Volunteer of the Year: Recognizes an outstanding volunteer who has made a significant difference to the growth, sustainability, programming, or other essential element of a non-profit or for-profit heritage organization. Supporting documentation should establish the nominee’s role and contributions.
Only one person from each heritage site/organization may be nominated.
Heritage Site or Organization of the Year: Recognizes and celebrates an organization or partner site that has grown, expanded, persevered, and flourished in the prior year. The nominee should demonstrate excellence and innovation in stewardship, preservation, programming, interpretation, education, governance, partnerships, inclusivity, and/or community impact.
Heritage Tourism Product Award: Recognizes an outstanding heritage tourism product created in the past two-years. Eligible products include exhibits, events, programs, self-guided or guided tours, audio tours, videos/CDs/podcasts, interpretive brochures, publications and websites, historical signage or markers, or photographic displays. Samples (or images if appropriate) of the nominated product must accompany the nomination. Nominations should describe the value, reach, and impact of the tourism product being nominated.