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The City of St. Catharines looks forward to recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of the 2026 St. Catharines Arts Awards nominees as it proudly announces the short list of its 28 finalists today.
This year’s Arts Awards will be presented on Thursday, June 18 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, proud venue sponsor of the 2026 Arts Awards. Admission is complimentary; however, seating for this distinguished celebration of arts and culture is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reserve your tickets early to avoid disappointment. Tickets to the 2026 Arts Awards will be available through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office beginning Tuesday, June 2 at noon.
“Congratulations to our 2026 St. Catharines Arts Awards nominees, we look forward to celebrating you all on June 18,” said Jessica Wilson, Culture Supervisor. “The arts and culture scene here is a driving force behind what makes St. Catharines such a great place. For more than two decades, the Arts Awards have helped to increase the visibility of our artists and cultural industries, honour cultural leaders and cultivate financial and volunteer support for the arts sector.”
The Arts Awards will recognize nominees in the following five categories:
Arts in Education Award
Bradley Barnham, Music; Mike Griffin, Theatre
Emerging Artist Award
Tim Alblas, Visual Art-Painting; Kosar Dakhilalian, Theatre; Jadyn Demming, Visual Art-Pyrography; EMERG, Music; Rajshree Jena, Visual Art-Painting; Jenn Judson, Visual Art-Collage; Patience Kyebitondo, Visual Art-Design (Fashion); Emily Lumsden, Visual Art-Painting; Robert-William McAlpine, Visual Art-Painting; Isabella Saranchuk, Visual Art-Theatre Design; Adam Wiebe, Multidisciplinary; Frankie Wood, Music
Established Artist Award
Ali Anger, Design-Hair Design; Marvin Dale, Visual Arts; David Green, Performance-Comedy; Maria Gulla, Visual Arts; INdustry Hair and Esthetics, Design-Hair Design; Nicole Joy-Fraser, Theatre, Jon Shaw, Visual Arts
Making a Difference Award
Tim Johnson, Cultural Leadership; retrograde: dance in motion, Dance; Colleen Smith, Performing Arts; St. Catharines Art Association, Visual Arts; Sodienye Waboso Amajor, Theatre / Performing Arts
Patron of the Arts Award
Anne and John Carruthers; Eileen Martin
Earlier this year, the City invited the community to submit nominations to any Arts Award category and received close to 30 nominations. A jury reflecting the diversity of St. Catharines’ arts community reviewed all nominations to create the short list of finalists and to select the 2026 Arts Awards recipients.
Since 2005, the City has celebrated more than 80 artists, businesses, individuals and organizations with Arts Awards who have demonstrated excellence in artistic creation and contribution to the arts in St. Catharines.
Learn more about the St. Catharines Arts Awards at stcatharines.ca/ArtsAwards.
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