Repairing cultural institutions affected by the Beirut port explosion. Rehabilitating a 150-year-old home in Bethlehem. Meticulously moving a pharaoh’s boat from Giza to the new Grand Egyptian Museum.
These are just a few examples of the outstanding projects shortlisted for this year’s ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region. 
People all over the Arab world are undertaking challenging but critical work to preserve cultural heritage. We believe that these efforts deserve recognition. That is why ICCROM’s (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) regional office in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), grants an annual award to two distinguished projects that contribute to the protection and vitality of the region’s tangible cultural heritage. One award is reserved for a project relating to a heritage site or building, and the other goes to a project concerning a cultural heritage institution, such as a museum.
The projects are judged according to their practices in conserving and managing cultural heritage in terms of technical skills employed and the project’s social and economic impacts on local communities.
This year’s competition has been fierce. Many deserving projects were nominated, and an independent jury of renowned specialists, both Arab and international, were tasked with the difficult choice of selecting 15 extraordinary projects to compete for the two final awards.
Running concurrently to this competition was the second round of a new regional contest: the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young. To promote cultural heritage and sustainable development among school children, ICCROM-Sharjah launched this award in cooperation with the National Commissions for UNESCO in the Arab Region and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. Participants, aged 9 to 15, were asked to use drawings, folkloric dance, photography or video to express their interpretation of the theme, “Our heritage brings us together.”
The winners of both competitions will be announced on 2 June 2022.
Under the patronage of His Highness, ICCROM-Sharjah will hold a two-day event, from 1-2 June, to declare and celebrate the Award winners. The first day will be a final review of the shortlisted projects. The winners will be announced the following morning – at 9.00 on 2 June – at the House of Wisdom in Sharjah.
