Preservation Month

Historic Preservation Month

Each May, Heritage Ohio celebrates preservation month and we hope you will join in the festivities!

Preservation Month Photo Contest

For over 15 years, Heritage Ohio has hosted a preservation month photo contest to help celebrate the spirit of preservation around Ohio. Each year has a new theme and we invite all photographers, professional and amateur, to participate starting in late April. The winning photo will be featured on the cover of our summer issue of Revitalize Ohio.

This year, we’re leaving the theme up to you. Submit an outstanding image that conveys the importance and meaning of Preservation Month. This could be a historic building, historic preservation in action, or downtown revitalization that is making a difference in your community. The winning image will be featured on a future cover of Revitalize Ohio!

The winning entry for the 2026 Heritage Ohio Preservation Month Photo Contest is….

“Preserving Memory: The Cemetery Blitz” by Ahmed Aly!

Students from the Andrew Jackson Davison (AJD) Club participate in a “Cemetery Blitz” at the historic W. State Street Cemetery in Athens, Ohio. Guided by preservation techniques similar to those used at Arlington National Cemetery, the students carefully clean and restore historic headstones belonging to early Black residents and veterans of the community. The image captures youth actively engaging in historic preservation, cultural education, and community remembrance, demonstrating how preservation keeps local history alive for future generations.