Nominations needed to mark Year of Natural Scotland

Countdown to nominations for Commemorative Plaques to mark Year of Natural Scotland

There are only two weeks left to submit nominations for your chosen historic figure to receive a Commemorative Plaque to mark the Year of Natural Scotland.

This is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of historic figures who have been inspired by the beauty of the stunning landscapes in Scotland, from artists to writers to conservationists, architects and many more.

The closing date for applications is 31st December 2013

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs said: “The Commemorative Plaque Scheme is a wonderful way to celebrate and commemorate individuals who have contributed so much to Scotland.

“It is also a way of ensuring that future generations will be aware of historic figures who may have been overlooked in the past, but whose accomplishments have put Scotland on a world stage.

“I am sure that there will be many nominations for people whose talent has been inspired by the outstanding beauty of Scotland’s diverse and dramatic scenery.”

All you need to do is fill out an application form on Historic Scotland’s website with up to 1,000 words, answering two questions explaining why you think your chosen person deserves a Commemorative Plaque.

There will be a maximum of 12 plaques awarded every year and these will be decided by an independent academic panel, still to be announced.

Twelve plaques were put up for the Year of Creative Scotland for the following people:-

Dudley D Watkins   –     Dundee based cartoonist for DC Thomson.

John Logie Baird –               Television pioneer and inventor.

Archibald Findlay –              Fife potato geneticist, father of 75% of modern crop.

Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir – Gaelic poet

Louis Dickson –          Bo’ness cinematographer and film pioneer.

Adam Christie –          Sculptor and artist from Shetland

Louisa Stevenson and Christian Guthrie Wright  – Founders of Queen Margaret College and Edinburgh School of Cookery and leaders in social equality movement.

Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell – ‘Scottish Colourist’ of the late 19^th century.

Norman McLaren –                 Experimental filmmaker and electronic music pioneer.

Hamish MacCunn –                 One of Scotland’s outstanding composers.

Francis (Fra) Newbery  –         Former Head of the Glasgow School of Art.

James Watt–                      Steam pioneer