Award Nominations
Instructions: This nomination form is intended for the annual Awards presented each year by the Heritage Foundation.
Please check the applicable award category below and fill in the sections for the candidate’s contact information, their general background and their contributions to heritage preservation and awareness. Use as much space as required. Please ensure that the application describes the outstanding achievement in enough detail to inform members of the Heritage Foundation who may not know the work of the nominee.
Include supporting documentation such as photographs, drawings, written descriptions, reference letters, and a brief biography/background to the individual/organization. This material will be returned upon request.
Award Categories
Award of Excellence - The Awards of Excellence are intended to recognize outstanding contributions by individuals, institutions and organizations to heritage preservation in Waterloo Region, in such areas as archaeological, archival, cultural, education, genealogical, historical, individual, literary, media, natural, other. The program began in 1983.
Sally Thorsen Award of Excellence - This award of excellence was created in 1998 in honor of the former commissioner of the Planning and Culture Department for the Region of Waterloo. This award may be presented to only one person in a year who has demonstrated, in the course of at least ten years of their professional lives, an outstanding level of commitment to heritage concerns.
Dr. Jean Steckle Award for Heritage Education - This award for excellence in heritage education is presented to an individual who has demonstrated leadership in heritage education through teaching, writing or by example, and who has encouraged and mentored others in the understanding and appreciation of the natural or cultural heritage of Waterloo Region.
Heritage Research Award makes available research grants to university students who are undertaking graduate research projects related to the heritage of Waterloo Region. The aim of the award is to encourage research at an advanced level into one or more aspects of the heritage of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. PLEASE NOTE THAT HERITAGE RESEARCH AWARD NOMINATIONS SHOULD NOT BE SUBMITTED VIA THIS FORM, BUT INSTEAD FOLLOW SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS HERE.
History Prize is awarded to a piece of work published within the previous 5 years which has helped to educate and promote the heritage of the Waterloo Region through the published work.
The deadline for nominations is February 27, 2026.
If you have any questions or require any accommodations or support to complete this form, please contact wrhf@regionofwaterloo.ca.
