Herbert Prins Colosseum Awards 2024

Herbert Prins Colosseum Memorial Awards Since 2010

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The Herbert Prins Colosseum Memorial Award was first established in 2010. Herbert Prins used a modest financial settlement from a legal battle over the demolition of the Colosseum Theatre to create and endow this heritage award, which includes a trophy designed by the artist Cecil Skotnes. The award aims to honour individuals or projects that significantly contribute to heritage conservation

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Call for Entries

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One of Johannesburg´s great iconic and much-loved Art Deco theatres, the Colosseum was demolished in 1985 despite campaigns by concerned citizens. The Colosseum has become a symbol of the tremendous loss of past heritage that the city has suffered. Many of our significant iconic landmarks have been preserved, restored, and retrofitted by Activists such as Herbert Prins. Their campaigns have ensured that there is now, more than ever, greater awareness of the value of cultural heritage. The Colosseum Award was established by Herbert´s efforts to recognise and celebrate initiatives to conserve the cultural heritage of Johannesburg. A floating trophy was created by celebrated artist Cecil Skotnes (1926-2009).

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Herbert Prins (1927-2020) will always be valued for his activist stance, contributions, and ongoing commitment to the heritage of Johannesburg and to other parts of South Africa. He practised as a Heritage Architect and academic for more than 72 years until just a few of months before his death.

These Memorial Awards are thus also in memory and recognition of his lifetime of work.

 

 

 

Criteria and Categories 2026

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The Awards wish to recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions towards the conservation of heritage in the greater area of the Highveld ( will be including the regions covered by PIA, SAIA Mpumalanga and SAIA Limpopo).. These would be for projects completed in recently and which celebrate:

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1. The conservation, commemoration, or adaptive reuse of buildings, places or spaces completed by the public or private sector or through public-private partnerships

2. Campaigns or other efforts to rescue endangered heritage buildings, objects, or sites

3. Research or Publications in the field of the Heritage of Gauteng

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Awards

 

The Jury may decide upon any number of Merit Awards. The overall winner will be bestowed an Award of Excellence. The winning entries will be announced and exhibited at the GIfA AGM on 26 November 2026.

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Eligibility and Categories:

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The Awards will recognise efforts directly aimed at the conservation, commemoration and restoration of heritage buildings, objects, sites, and records.

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The Awards shall be eligible for consideration in the following categories:

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1. Buildings or Structures: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Industrial (including Mining), and Religious. Buildings or places need not be graded heritage sites, and there is no age stipulation for buildings with a new use.
2. Public monuments and memorials.
3. Historic settlements.
4. Parks, gardens, and trees.
5. Vernacular architecture.
6. Historical sites of conflict and/or liberation struggles.
7. Archaeological, palaeontological, and geological heritage.
8. Tangible aspects of inherited culture, including the holistic approach to nature, society, and social relationships.
9. Academic or like research that furthers knowledge in the field of heritage studies and conservation.
10. The education of the public and the creation of public awareness of heritage matters, both in written and visual form.
11. Journalism directed to the heritage resources of Gauteng.

 

 

Submissions

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Entries can be submitted by any member of the public, architects, academics, property owners /developers or their representatives. The same individual or entity may submit more than one entry. Projects that have been entered for either a GIfA, PIA, SAIA or other Awards may also be nominated.

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All submissions shall be made electronically on the prescribed entry form.

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In the case of projects involving conservation, commemoration, adaptive reuse, research, or publication submissions, a letter from the owner giving consent to the nomination and to the conditions of entry is required.

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Nominations for projects completed during recent must be accompanied by the following:

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1. A non-refundable entry fee of R 1,700.00 to assist in defraying costs.

2. An A4 brochure containing:

a. A copy of the submission form.

b. A complete list of all professionals / consultants and contractor/s and a brief project description (not to exceed 300 words).

c. A brief comment on the project from the user or client (not to exceed 300 words) and their consent to inspect the site / work.

d. Sufficient scale drawings, photographs, and project summary to adequately illustrate and inform the project and its context. These must be represented in A1 poster format (not to exceed 2 posters)

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Entrants may include any materials that will support their nomination in their submission - this may consist of the history, plans, drawings, photographs, articles, videos, letters of support, etc. The Jury may request further details if required.

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Colosseum Awards Programme 2026

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Call for entries 1 April 2026

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Deadline for submissions Friday 26 June 2026

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Jury convenes for pre-selection Thursday 9 July 2026

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loco inspections/ site visits Monday 27July-Friday 14 August 2026

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Emails to the Finalist to submit the posters Monday 2 September

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The deadline for submissions of Posters Friday 27 September 2026

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GIfA AGM and exhibition of the Awards Thursday 26 November 2026