Students have until 26 July 2024 to apply for the “Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage” Thesis Award; the special focus this year will be on the impacts of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina on the area.
Ph. Alessandro Zardini, Cortina d’Ampezzo
Opening up to other countries
Among the new features of the 2024 edition is that it is also open to students attending foreign universities, broadening the reach of the award, now in its third edition, overseas. The award is promoted by the Autonomous Province of Trento through the Tsm|step School for the Regional and Landscape Management, as part of the coordination activities of the Training and Scientific Research Network of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation.
Olympics and the region
The primary purpose of the Award is to encourage study and research on the conservation, communication and enhancement of the UNESCO Site, and to bring increasing awareness of the Outstanding Universal Value of Heritage to the new generation of students, thereby fostering awareness and, it is hoped, a present and future commitment in terms of active citizenship. There is a particular focus on the themes of geology and landscape, i.e., the values that led to the Dolomites being included on the World Heritage List, but theses may also cover broader aspects and refer to the significance and values expressed by the Convention on the Protection of World Heritage and other international conventions such as the European Landscape Convention and the Alpine Convention. This year, special attention will be paid to the relationship between the Dolomites region and the XXV Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina in 2026. In fact, a special mention will be given to theses dealing with the potential impacts that the event will have on the Dolomites region with respect to sustainability in the conservation of the Site, the management of the UNESCO values in the Dolomites, and the promotion and enhancement of the Property.
Who can participate
The competition is for graduates who have completed or will complete a bachelor’s or master’s thesis between 27 June 2021 and 26 June 2024. Two awards of one thousand euros each are to be awarded for the entries judged most deserving. Applications must be submitted by 26 July 2024; all the information can be found at tsm.tn.it.