SESAH BEST OF THE SOUTH AWARDS

SESAH invites nominations, including self-nominations, for the 2026 Best of the South Awards. Projects completed in 2024, 2025 or 2026 (before nominations deadline) are eligible for consideration.

BEST OF THE SOUTH: PRESERVING SOUTHERN ARCHITECTURE AWARD

Honors a project that preserves, rehabilitates, or restores a historic property (including a building, structure, or complex) in an outstanding manner; demonstrates excellence in research, design, and execution.

BEST OF THE SOUTH: EXCELLENCE IN PRESERVATION, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND OUTREACH AWARD

Honors a project that document and educate the public about a historic property – including a building, a structure, or a complex of buildings and/or structures – in an outstanding manner, that enhance the public’s understanding and appreciation of the built environment, and that demonstrate excellence in research, design, and execution.

Eligibility

Eligible projects are in the twelve-state SESAH region – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia – that were completed within the last 3 calendar years.

Criteria for Consideration

• • Quality of the project documentation, research, and/or educational components;
  • Significance of the property type or cultural site within its particular context (national, regional, state, local);
  • Excellence in research;
  • Innovation in subject area, research, methodology, and/or product;
  • Anticipated benefits; and
  • Degree to which project enhances the public’s understanding of the built environment.

• • Special consideration will be given to projects which focus on the heritage of traditionally underrepresented communities or groups.

The deadline for submitting nominations is August 1, 2026

The winner will be announced during the awards ceremony at the 2026 SESAH Conference held September 30 – October 3 in Savannah, Georgia.

Nominations should consist of:

• • a project description of 800-1000 words;
  • illustrations and any other material supporting the description (including a copy of the artifact itself, if appropriate), a project budget and timeline; and
  • a cover letter that identifies the owner of the property, the historic and current use of the property, and the names and contact information of all the major participants of the project (including email addresses).

The nomination should be sent by email as a single PDF document, or as a link to a single PDF posted on Google Drive or Dropbox to the Chair of the BOTS Award Committee, Jimmie Tucker, bots@sesah.org