Bristol TN and VA open nominations for 2025 Historic Preservation Awards; deadline March 31

Inside Bristol host Sherda Nichols discussed the 2025 Historic Preservation Awards with Heather Moore and Daniel Shue, who described a continued collaboration between Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia.

Moore and Shue said this will be the second year the two cities have held a combined awards program. “Last year was our first time that that Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia have combined forces to have a a combined, force with, our our 2 programs,” Moore said. She said Bristol, Virginia’s program is more established and that the Tennessee program, started in 2018, patterned part of its application on Virginia’s.

Nomination forms are available on each city’s website: Bristol, Virginia’s site includes a downloadable form and Bristol, Tennessee’s site has an interactive application that can be filled out online or downloaded and mailed. Both cities use photography as part of the submission.

Daniel Shue described the selection approach and cautioned that the awards are not judged against the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for historic preservation. “This is not based on, like, secretary of interior standards. It's not that strict. We're just looking for some preservation efforts, some good before and after, some some things that were done well,” Shue said.

Both cities set a nomination deadline of March 31. Moore said the program accepts submissions from the cities’ historic districts and also has citywide awards and a stewardship award. She said award categories and full requirements are posted on the respective city websites and that communities are encouraged to nominate properties that retain historic elements and demonstrate careful renovation.

A combined awards ceremony is planned for later this year; organizers said the ceremony location would be announced at a later date.