Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area announced the recipients of its 2025 awards during its annual awards ceremony yesterday, celebrating outstanding partners, projects, and individuals whose work advances the organization’s mission to preserve, interpret, and promote the nationally significant stories of the Missouri-Kansas border region.

Hosted at the Watkins Museum of History, this year’s ceremony honored organizations and community leaders who demonstrated exceptional leadership, creativity, and commitment to public history, education, and heritage stewardship throughout the 41-county region.

Among the top honors was the Judy Billings Most Valuable Project Award, presented to Constitution Hall Topeka and Friends of the Free State Capitol for their inaugural event showcasing the restoration of Constitution Hall. The project highlighted statewide collaboration and renewed public engagement with Kansas’s Free State history. Special acknowledgment was also given to Nevada, Missouri’s Bushwhacker Museum, recipient of this year’s Honorable Deanell Reece Tacha Education Award.

Additional awards recognized excellence in interpretation, education, community engagement, and cross-organizational collaboration. Each award recipient exemplifies the guiding principles of Freedom’s Frontier: shared stories, shared stewardship, and shared success.

“Today we celebrate the dedication and vision of our partners,” said Lucinda Adams, executive director of Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. “2025 has been a trying year for humanities organizations, but their work ensures that the powerful stories of this region continue to inspire new generations. We are grateful for their passion, perseverance, and commitment to preserving our shared heritage.