Nominations are now open for the 2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards. The annual awards program recognizes exceptional efforts in preserving, restoring and revitalizing historic places in Illinois. Nominations are due June 1, 2025, and can be submitted online here.

“Historic places have the power to connect us and to create shared identity and pride around Illinois’ rich and diverse history,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “We invite individuals and communities to nominate people and projects reflecting extraordinary efforts to restore and repurpose these important spaces, breathing new life into our main streets, fostering sustainable communities and ensuring that the stories of our past continue to shape our future.”

2025 Award details

Nine winners are selected each year through the Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards. Award recipients will be honored at a public ceremony in Chicago in the fall. Details on the awards ceremony event will be announced at a later date. Awards are given in the following general categories:

• Advocacy: An effective local or statewide campaign to preserve and protect a historic resource.
• Leadership: An individual, municipality, private organization or joint partnership that has championed historic preservation, planning or public policy.
• Preservation: Projects that enable the continued use of historic commercial and industrial buildings, multi-family and affordable housing residences, public and institutional structures, or that preserve a cultural heritage site.
• Environmental Sustainability: Mitigation of climate change through the use of preservation technologies.

One of the 2025 selected award winners will also receive the Richard H. Driehaus Legacy Award, which honors the memory of the late Richard H. Driehaus. The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation has generously supported this annual awards program since 1994. The recipient of this esteemed award must demonstrate the immense power of preservation, following in the footsteps of Driehaus, who believed reusing places of our past creates positive change and motivates others to save important places.

2025 Nomination requirements

Nominations submitted for a 2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award must be for projects or people located within Illinois. Projects must also have been completed within the last five years. Phased projects may be considered if the nominated phase is complete and can stand on its own merits. Buildings included in nominated preservation projects do not need to be officially designated as local or national landmarks. They should, however, be valued by residents and celebrated for their local history or culture.
 
 Nominations may be submitted in someone’s honor and/or without the nominee's knowledge. Self-nominations are also accepted. Previous year submissions not selected for an award may be revised and resubmitted for consideration as well.

There is no fee to submit a nomination for the 2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards. A jury of preservation professionals will review the nominations and determine the winners of this year’s awards. Judging criteria include the impact the project or person has had on the community, the creativity of the project, and how well it aligns with Landmarks Illinois’ mission and guiding principles.