Brussels, 13/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Monday the European Commission and Europa Nostra, the European cultural heritage association announced the five top prizes for the annual European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards. Prizes will be presented to the laureates late June in Madrid, during a ceremony which will be presided by the Queen of Spain and attended by Commissioner for Culture Jan Figel. These awards were jointly launched in 2002 by Europa Nostra and the European Commission, in the framework of the Commission's Culture 2000 programme, to recognize best practices in heritage conservation on a European level. The five top Prizes, with a monetary award of €10,000 each, will be presented in the following categories: 1) Conservation of Architectural Heritage: to the Omeriye Ottoman Baths, Nicosia (Cyprus); 2) Conservation of Cultural Landscapes: Vía de la Plata, Extremadura (Spain); Conservation of Works of Art: 3) the Edward Chambré Hardman Photographic Collection, Liverpool (United Kingdom); 4) Outstanding Studies: Dr Anna Sulimowska-Ociepka and the Technical University of Silesia for Old Workers' Estates in Upper Silesia (Poland); Dedicated Service to Heritage Conservation: to the Maisons Paysannes de France. Websites: http://www.europanostra.org/awards_2006.html