The municipalities of Alphen aan den Rijn, Oirschot and Tilburg have been nominated for the BNG Heritage Award 2025, with the theme: Intangible heritage.
Intangible heritage, the theme of the BNG Heritage Award 2025, is living heritage: crafts, festivals, traditions and special knowledge or skills that communities share and pass on to their children and new community members. From Keti Koti and flower parades to bonfires and funfairs. In 2012, the Netherlands signed the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Has intangible heritage now become an integral part of municipal policy? And how inclusive is the definition of intangible heritage used by municipalities?
From a longlist, the jury nominated the municipalities of Alphen aan den Rijn, Oirschot and Tilburg. These municipalities stand out: they make excellent use of the connecting power of intangible heritage. They put their heritage communities and residents first. Their heritage policy is future-oriented, and their approach is connecting and integrated.
Jury chair and chair of the BNG Culture Fund Ron König:
'This year, we were once again enthusiastic about the quality of the entries and the motivation of the policy officers involved. Working with the theme of intangible heritage has resulted in an inspiring list of entries from different parts of the country. Intangible heritage can create a sense of connection and be a source of pride, but it can also be a starting point for dialogue. As a jury, we look forward to further exploring these different aspects of intangible heritage during our incognito visits to these three nominated municipalities!'
The BNG Heritage Award is presented to the local authority that best manages its heritage and involves its residents in an inspiring way. With this award, the Heritage Platform of Kunsten'92 aims to share good examples and inspire other municipalities. The BNG Heritage Award, worth €25,000, is made possible by main sponsor BNG Culture Fund and has been presented annually since 2010. Since 2022, the jury has been working with an annual theme.
'This year, we were once again enthusiastic about the quality of the entries and the motivation of the policy officers involved. Working with the theme of intangible heritage has resulted in an inspiring list of entries from different parts of the country.'Ron KönigJury chair and chair of the BNG Culture Fund Ron König
The winner of the BNG Heritage Prize 2025 will be announced on 11th June 2025, during a Heritage Symposium organised by and in the municipality of Nijmegen, the winner of 2024.