Browse the 2026 finalists and select your favourite(s)!
Voting closes 11.59pm, Thursday 30 April 2026.
Community-led Cultural Knowledge Standards strengthening protection of Aboriginal cultural knowledge across NSW. Entered by Aboriginal Affairs NSW - Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Land Strategy Team.
A striking Dharawal shellwork bridge by Aunty Lola Ryan unearthing matrilineal shellwork practices, shell middens and ancestral totems in Walsh Bay. Entered by City People and Aunty Lola Ryan.
Saltwater People Stories are a compelling series of public artworks featured along the foreshore of the new Sydney Fish Market, celebrating Indigenous heritage. Entered by Cultural Capital & Tilt Industrial Design.
Ensuring the preservation and protection of the Gosford Library Building. Entered by Merril Jackson OAM.
A beloved regional pub reborn: Coolamon Hotel honours its heritage while balancing conservation with modern comfort, accessibility, and vibrant community use. Entered by GPG Architecture.
An adaptive reuse of a dilapidated circa 1890 corner shop and attached residence, transformed into a vibrant mixed-use development commanding the corner. Entered by Mackenzie Pronk Architects.
Renovation and conservation of the Entertainment Hall and Switch House at White Bay Power Station. Entered by DunnHillam Architecture + Urban Design.
The 1891 Pyrmont Superior School Buildings have been restored, adapted and augmented with sensitive new work. Entered by Welsh + Major in association with City of Sydney.
A landmark transformation within Sydney’s Sandstone Precinct, breathing new life into the iconic 1876 Department of Lands building. Entered by Hassell in collaboration with Purcell Architecture.
A delightful conversion of a heritage roof space as study space for the College's residents - highly complex and deceptively simple. Entered by PMDL Architecture + Design.
Specialist conservation works at Goulburn's Rocky Hill War Memorial addressed concrete deterioration and water ingress ahead of its 2025 centenary. Entered by Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
Painstakingly restored, fire damage to the interior of GSDA No.1 - conserved original fabric and carefully replaced ruined fabric. Entered by Hector Abrahams Architects.
Restoration of the State-heritage-listed Orient Hotel featured the first modern application of lime wash to the exterior of a building in The Rocks. Entered by OCP Architects.
The project conserved deteriorating exterior elements of Rouse Hill Estate’s Main House and Stables in line with the site’s strict conservation ethos. Entered by Museums of History NSW.
St Stephen's Uniting Church Macquarie Street facade repair and conservation. Entered by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects.
Thirty years since the last significant appraisal, the conservation approaches to Susannah Place Museum were gently re-evaluated to ensure the ongoing retention. Entered by Placemaking NSW.
Façade remediation works at Town Hall House involving cleaning, concrete and render repairs and silane application to secure the building’s longevity. Entered by Urbis and City of Sydney.
Facade works to Ultimo TAFE B.A. presented a rare opportunity to restore the building’s artistic intent through the reinstatement of lost stone carvings. Entered by NSW Public Works.
Conservation of the 1878 Public School through careful repair of original brick, stone and timber fabric and reinstatement of lost elements. Entered by G&C Waller Builders Pty Ltd.
Three immersive audio tours bring Cockatoo Island's convict & industrial heritage alive through intimate human voices, filling empty buildings with meaning. Entered by Art of Multimedia.
A cultural walk sharing stories of Country through layered interpretation, connecting to place through signage, art integration and public art. Entered by Eurobodalla Shire Council.
A 40 min documentary film uncovering the mostly untold story of the 1954 Stockton Bight Disaster. Entered by Our Past.
A live virtual event connecting 7,683 NSW students - 59% regional - with First Nations voices, heritage waterways and curriculum content. Entered by Museums of History NSW.
A touring 3D digital cube reimagining Australia's iconic bird illustrations through First Nations knowledge, animation and community engagement across NSW. Entered by Australian Museum.
Model Newcastle: Big Stories Little Things is a blockbuster exhibition by Newcastle Museum, exploring stories for and about Newcastle using models. Entered by Newcastle Museum.
A one-day forum on First Nations archaeology in NSW that brought together Aboriginal community, archaeological consultants, heritage managers, and researchers. Entered by Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists.
Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country explores the colonial development of the NSW colony with an intervention by Alison Page that layers First Nations knowledge.
Entered by Museums of History NSW.
Heritage Listing of the Chinatown Ceremonial Gates and major conservation works. Entered by City of Sydney.
Conservation-led restoration of the Carrington Hotel’s Grand Dining Room, preserving one of the Blue Mountains’ most significant Victorian interiors for future. Entered by The Carrington Hotel.
Replica of original sculpture of sex worker “Joy” reaffirms the role of public art in complex histories and giving visibility to under represented communities. Entered by City of Sydney.
Conservation of 32 sandstone inscriptions at Q Station revealed new insights into the lives of early migrants, including Arabic speakers from the Ottoman Empire. Entered by Q Station, Manly and International Conservation Services.
The interior and exterior of Ken Wooley's award-winning Palm Beach house are faithfully restored, recreating the warmth and atmosphere of the original house. Entered by Donald Campbell Design
A vital new link for the local community, seamlessly connecting the Esplanade pedestrian walkway along the eastern edge of Hungry Point. Entered by Taylor Brammer Landscape Architects Pty Ltd.
The restoration of the Sandhills Wetlands in Byron Bay saved a landscape that was nearly lost to history. Entered by Byron Shire Council.
A revitalised 6 km canal and rail corridor transformed into an ecological, cultural and active‑travel landscape celebrating the Inner West’s layered heritage. Entered by Inner West Council.
This project conserved the integrity and heritage significance of the waterfall, ponds and rill at Vaucluse House. Entered by Museums of History NSW.
This publication celebrates and details the simple timber house constructed prior to 1850 by settlers and emancipists. Entered by Burwood & District Historical Society Inc.
This publication showcases design and practice-based approaches to the sustainable, adaptive reuse of historic places. Entered by Uro Books, Hannah Lewi (University of Melbourne) and Cameron Logan (University of Sydney).
While historians have contributed extensively to discussions of food, identity and place, this is the first volume to explore how archaeology contributes to this national conversation. Entered by Dr Madeline Shanahan.
A vital book from two leading writers on caring for our environment using methods practised by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for millennia. Entered by Thames and Hudson Australia.
This is a book called Luna Park, the extraordinary story of the showmen, shysters and schemers who built Sydney's famous fun park.
Entered by Helen Pitt.
'Painting With Stone' tells the story of the extraordinary Melocco Brothers, who transformed Sydney's architectural landscape with their pioneering mosaic art. Entered by Longueville Media.
Woollahra Council engaged GML and Robertson & Hindmarsh to assess postwar sites and address gaps in heritage listed 20th‑century architecture in the LGA. Entered by Woollahra Municipal Council, GML Heritage, Robertson & Hindmarsh Architects.