The BNG Heritage Award is an initiative of the Heritage Platform of Kunsten ’92. With this award, we encourage municipalities to actively invest in their cultural heritage. The prize money of €25.000 can be used by municipalities to further develop projects in tourism, culture, education, social affairs, spatial development, and the economy.
The municipalities of Emmen, Maassluis and Tilburg have been nominated for the BNG Heritage Award 2026, with the theme “industrial heritage”. According to the jury, these three stood out on the longlist because of their active and forward-looking approach to industrial heritage.
The winner of the BNG Heritage Award 2026 will be announced on 28 May during a heritage symposium and festive award ceremony. The symposium is being organised by and will take place in the municipality of Oirschot. Oirschot won in 2025 with the theme of intangible heritage.
The municipality of Oirschot is the winner of the BNG Heritage Award 2025. This year’s theme was Intangible Heritage. Alderman Tobias van Elferen from Nijmegen presented the award to his fellow alderman from the municipality of Oirschot. Along with the jury’s praise, Oirschot received a certificate and a cash prize of €25,000. The other nominees, Alphen aan den Rijn and Tilburg, were also highly commended by the jury.
“Oirschot is more aware than any other of the value of intangible heritage. The municipality carefully supports and facilitates all social activities in the community. They give space to communities to organise their own activities. Their participatory, integrated, and forward-looking policy ensures the preservation of intangible heritage. This makes Oirschot a model for other municipalities in the Netherlands. With a resounding 1,472 out of a total of 2,327 votes, Oirschot also won the 2025 Public Award.”
Kunsten ’92 is the interest group for the entire cultural and creative sector, with more than 440 members from all disciplines: from the arts to new media, design, museums and monuments, and from creators to organisations. With a united voice, we strengthen the social and political climate for culture in the Netherlands.
The BNG Culture Fund supports the arts and culture sector in the Netherlands. Read more about what the fund does.
For questions about the BNG Culture Fund, please contact:
Ana Buzón
Secretary of the BNG Culture Fund