2026 Preservation Award Nominations Are Now Open!
Preservation Buffalo Niagara is pleased to announce that nominations for the 2026 Preservation Awards are now open. Each year, we honor the people, projects, and organizations that strengthen Western New York’s historic fabric through thoughtful restoration, adaptive reuse, stewardship, and community leadership.
If you know of a preservation project completed between 2020 and 2025, now is the time to nominate it. Eligible work can range from a single well-crafted repair to a full-scale rehabilitation. Preservation happens at every scale, and every effort contributes to the character and resilience of our region.
If you would like to nominate a project or person, please fill out a nomination form HERE.
The Preservation Awards will honor achievement in any combination of the following areas:
| Name | Qualifications |
| Commercial Project | A project that embodies excellence through maintenance, stabilization, repair, planning, restoration, stewardship, adaptive reuse, or rehabilitation of our built environment. Must have been completed in the last 5 years. |
| Residential Project | A project that embodies excellence through maintenance, stabilization, repair, planning, restoration, stewardship, adaptive reuse, or rehabilitation of our built environment, including private homes.
Must have been completed in the last 5 years. |
| Legacy businesses – stewards of historic structures and neighborhoods | Individual/organization/business – giving great effort in preservation through advocacy or planning activity. |
| Neighborhood Preservation | A project designed to protect or promote the preservation of a district or locality. |
| Preservation Craft | Superior skills or education in construction-related activities applicable to the process of preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, or reconstruction. |
| Preservation Leadership | A project or activity designed to empower community residents to participate in development decisions affecting our shared cultural heritage. |
| Emerging Preservation Leader | This award is given to an individual who embodies the promise of preservation in the next generation. |
Who Can Apply
We welcome nominations from across Western New York, including Buffalo and Niagara Falls. If you know of a project—or have completed one yourself—that deserves recognition, we encourage you to submit a nomination.
Preservation is a collective effort, and these awards highlight the individuals and organizations who help safeguard the places that define our region.
Ready to Nominate?
If you believe your project or someone else’s is deserving of an award, please CLICK HERE to complete our nomination form.
Sponsor & Advertising Opportunities
Support the people and projects shaping the future of Western New York’s historic places. The Preservation Award Ceremony brings together community leaders, preservation advocates, and partners who believe in the power of place—and your organization can be part of this celebration.
We offer a range of sponsorship levels designed to highlight your commitment to preservation, along with advertising opportunities in the 2026 Preservation Awards Program for those who want to show support in a more accessible way. Every contribution helps us honor the work that strengthens our neighborhoods and keeps our shared heritage alive.
Join us in uplifting the stories, craftsmanship, and community spirit that make Western New York extraordinary.
Visit: https://givebutter.com/2026PresAwardSponsors
Scroll down to explore winners from past Preservation Awards.
The 2025 Preservation Award Winners Are…
- The Edward M. Cotter Fireboat
- The Friends of the Turtle
- Irving Place
- The Lockport Historic Palace Theatre
- The Monroe
- The Marshall House
- The Beautiful Beverly
- Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church
- Trinity Church, Middleport, NY
- Central Terminal Neighborhood Association
- Lindsay DeDario
- Thomas Yots
- Hallie Wright
- Mayfair Lane
Enjoy these photographs taken by Joe Cascio. Thank you for capturing the night so beautifully, Joe.
Below are some of the photos taken by the talented Katie Schneider.
Photographs courtesy of Katie Schneider Photography
Thank you to Robert. T. Coles Sponsors.
Thank you to our EB Green & Louise Bethune Sponsors
