ICOMOS believes it is important to recognise great achievements in the field of heritage conservation, and as such we award both the Gazzola Prize and Honorary Memberships to particularly deserving individuals.
The Gazzola Prize was established in 1979 in memory of Piero Gazzola. Not only was Gazzola a pioneering figure in cultural heritage safeguarding, but he was also a founder, and first President, of ICOMOS.
The prize is awarded every three years, at the ICOMOS General Assembly, to an individual or group who have contributed to the aims and objectives of ICOMOS with distinction. The recipient of the prize must be a member of ICOMOS, and is chosen by a Selection Committee, appointed by the Board of ICOMOS.
The ICOMOS General Assembly also confers Honorary Membership on a select number of individuals, in recognition of their “distinguished services at the international level to the conservation of cultural heritage” (as stated in Article 5-a of the ICOMOS Statutes). Honorary Members are also chosen by the Selection Committee and approved by the ICOMOS General Assembly.