Greater Shepparton Cultural Heritage Awards

To coincide with the Australian Heritage Festival, Greater Shepparton City Council, in association with the Greater Shepparton Heritage Advisory Committee, is proud to present the biennial Greater Shepparton Cultural Heritage Awards 2023.

The highest-scoring nomination in each category was honoured with an Award presented at the 2023 Cultural Heritage Awards Ceremony, which was held on Saturday, 22 April 2023 at Level 4 of the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM). See a list of the winners here.

About the Awards

The Awards recognise outstanding contributions to cultural heritage conservation, research, education, promotion, interpretation, training and awareness-raising within the Municipality.

2017 Greater Shepparton Cultural Heritage Awards recipient Les Young talks about his historic property and his experiences entering the Awards.

The Awards aim to honour individuals and organisations whose work has promoted and conserved the Municipality’s diverse cultural heritage. They also serve to promote the benefits of cultural heritage conservation by promoting examples of good conservation practice and guidance, as well as offering the owners or guardians of our cultural heritage recognition of their invaluable work.

Cultural heritage includes both tangible cultural heritage (such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, books, works of art and artefacts) and intangible cultural heritage (such as folklore, traditions, language and knowledge). Places of cultural heritage significance can include a ‘site, area, land, landscape, building or other work, group of buildings or other works, and may include components, contents, spaces and views’ (Burra Charter, 2013: 2).

Award categories

Award nominations can be made in the following categories:

  1. Reuse of a Heritage Place – This award recognises adaptive reuse of a place. Adaptive reuse is a process that changes the use or function of a derelict or redundant place, such as a place of worship, dwelling, factory, farm buildings, hall, shop or landscaped parkland, to a different use or function. The winner and finalists must demonstrate that the adaptive reuse has had a minimal impact on the place’s cultural heritage significance, built fabric and setting.
  2. Restoration of a Heritage Place – This award recognises best practice restoration work that returns fabric back to a known earlier state or conserves its integrity. The winner and finalists must have demonstrated a thorough application of the principles within the Burra Charter.
  3. Maintenance of a Heritage Place – This award recognises places of cultural heritage significance that are preserved and maintained to very high standards by their owners or guardians. The winner and finalists must have demonstrated a thorough application of the principles within the Burra Charter.
  4. Best Research Publication or Manuscript – This award recognises and acknowledges a substantial research publication - for example, a book, heritage or conservation study, monograph - related to interpretation, recording, research, promotion and awareness-raising of cultural heritage within the Municipality.
  5. Other Publication – This award recognises and acknowledges a significant publication - for example, a booklet, pamphlet, brochure, memoir, software application - related to interpretation, recording, research, promotion and awareness-raising of cultural heritage within the Municipality.
  6. Student/Youth – This award recognises the contribution of an individual or group whose project or efforts make a demonstrable contribution to the interpretation, understanding, preservation or conservation of cultural heritage. The age of entrants will be taken into account in making this award.
  7. Interpretive Signage – This award recognises the interpretation of a place of cultural heritage significance in a text – written, electronic or other – which serves as a communication tool for the understanding of the place and as a tangible reminder of its cultural heritage significance.
  8. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage – This award recognises and acknowledges both tangible and intangible initiatives that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage.
  9. Community and Multicultural Events and Tourism – This award recognises events – for example walks and heritage-related days – that disseminate the cultural heritage significance of the peoples that reside in our Municipality.
  10. Other Contribution – This award recognises the potential for contributions to cultural heritage conservation, research, education, promotion, interpretation, training and awareness-raising within the Municipality not included in any of the categories outlined above.

For more information, please contact Council's Building, Planning and Compliance Department on (03) 5832 9730 or at council@shepparton.vic.gov.au

  • The Burra Charter
    The Burra Charter and the associated series of Practice Notes provide a best practice standard for managing cultural heritage places in Australia. Visit the link above for more info.

Further information and past winners