The City of St. Catharines recognizes and celebrates the arts through our annual arts awards. The awards seek to increase the visibility of St. Catharines' artists and cultural industries, honour cultural leaders and their achievements, and cultivate financial and volunteer support for the arts sector.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for information on the fall awards presentation event.
Nominations
Nominations are now closed for the 2021 arts awards. Nominations typically open in February for that year's upcoming awards.
Eligibility
Please review the nominee eligibility requirements:
- Nominees must be residents of St. Catharines or have made a consistent and significant contribution to arts in the St. Catharines
- We will consider posthumous nominations
- Owners and tenants of land will be considered residents of St. Catharines
If you are nominated for an award, you'll need to give permission for your pictures and biography to be shared in promotional materials.
If you'd like to nominate an individual or organization for an award, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- We accept nominations from individuals or organizations
- You can make one nomination per category per year in the five award categories
- You can't nominate yourself for an award
Please note
The City reserves the right to accept or reject nominations and we can also cancel awards at any time.
Award descriptions
Review each of the art award descriptions to learn more about each award and find out if you'd like to nominate someone or an organization / group for an award.
Arts in Education Award |
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The Arts in Education Award celebrates an individual, collective or organization that has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to engaging St. Catharines' residents through arts education activities. AwardThe recipient of this award will receive $500 and a hand-crafted St. Catharines Arts Award. |
Emerging Artist Award |
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The Emerging Artist Award celebrates current accomplishments alongside future potential and is presented to an emerging St. Catharines artist working in any discipline. Emerging artists are establishing careers in their field and are working to become recognized professional artists. EligibilityThe jury will consider nominees who:
AwardThe recipient of this award will receive $500 and a civic certificate of appreciation. |
Established Artist Award |
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The Established Artist Award is presented to a professional St. Catharines artist in any discipline who has received critical recognition for their art in St. Catharines and beyond. EligibilityThe jury will consider nominees who:
AwardThe recipient of this award will receive $500 and a hand-crafted St. Catharines Arts Award. |
Making a Difference Award |
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The Making a Difference Award celebrates a St. Catharines arts entrepreneur, arts administrator, arts organization, arts animator, or volunteer in the arts whose leadership and innovation have significantly contributed to the growth and development of arts and culture in St. Catharines. AwardThe recipient of this award will receive $500 and a hand-crafted St. Catharines Arts Award. |
Patron of the Arts Award |
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The Patron of the Arts Award celebrates an individual, business or organization that has made a meaningful contribution to the arts in St. Catharines through innovative, transformative, and entrepreneurial partnerships or philanthropic investments. AwardThe recipient will receive a hand-crafted St. Catharines Arts Award. |
Evaluation criteria and jury
Our jury will evaluate all nominations. The jury will include three artists or arts professionals who will be announced on the award event day. Review our Nomination Guidelines to learn more about the evaluation criteria for each award.
2021 Arts Awards
We hosted the 2021 Arts Awards ceremony virtually on November 21. The event was hosted by the 2020 Recipients: Danny Custodio, Erica Sherwood, Juliet Dunn and Candice Turner-Smith and featured performances from Kathryn Sinopoli, Sarah Jerrom and Peter Shea.
Watch the 2021 Arts Awards ceremony
Recipients
Check out the recipients for the 2021 Arts Awards:
- Arts in Education – Curtis Tye
- Emerging Artist – Elise Naccarato
- Established Artist – Peter Shea
- Making a Difference – OPIRG Brock
- Jury's Pick – Jean Bridge