1. Funding
  2. Prizes

Every year the Canada Council awards a broad range of prestigious prizes to more than 200 Canadian artists and scholars in recognition of their quest for innovation and excellence.

Eligibility

Three ways to apply

Application

By Application

Apply to the Council or to our partners.

Nomination

By Nomination

Submit a third-party nomination to the Council or to our partners.

Jury

By Grant Application

You do not apply for these prizes. Applicants to some grant programs are eligible and will be considered for prizes.

To submit an application or nomination to Prizes, please refer to each individual prize's page on the website for further details. At this time, applications and nominations for prizes cannot be made through the Portal.

Explore our Prizes

Competition suspended

The Bernard Diamant Prize offers classical music singers under age 35 an opportunity to pursue their career through further studies.

Nomination-based

$10,000 each

2 prizes valued at $10,000 each

  • 1 English-language work
  • 1 French-language work

The Canada-Japan Literary Awards recognize literary excellence by Canadian writers and translators who write, or translate from Japanese into Engl...

Deadline

October 1, 2022

Application-based

$1,000 - $6,000

The CBC Literary Prizes recognize talented Anglophone writers in three categories: Short Story, Nonfiction and Poetry.

Application-based

$20,000

The Coburn Fellowships are awarded to one student at the University of Toronto and another at the University of Tel Aviv or the Hebrew University ...

Competition suspended

The Duke and Duchess of York Prize in Photography is awarded to a professional photographer for personal creative work or to pursue postgraduate s...

Application-based

$2,000 -
$8,000

The Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition is a major contemporary music competition that rewards the most talented young artists in the cat...

Nomination-based

$25,000 each

Up to 8 awards are given annually:

  • 6 Artistic Achievement
  • 1 Saidye Bronfman Award
  • 1 Outstanding Contribution

The Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts are granted to artists in recognition of remarkable careers in either of those fields.

Deadline

June 1, 2024

Nomination-based

$1,000 -
$25,000

The Governor General's Literary Awards are presented in recognition of the best Anglophone and best Francophone book in each of seven categories...

Deadline

May 15, 2024

Application-based

Up to
12 medals

The Governor General's Medals in Architecture recognize and celebrate outstanding design in recently built projects by Canadian architects.

Nomination-based

Five prizes of $25,000

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards are Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts.

Deadline

December 8, 2023

Application-based

$5,000

The Healey-Willan Prize is awarded for the best performance in the National Competition for Amateur Choirs.

By Grant Application

$6,000

The Jacqueline Lemieux Prize recognizes the work of an established dance professional who has made an outstanding contribution to dance in Canada.

Competition suspended

The J.B.C Watkins Awards are an opportunity for artists to develop their talents in music or theatre and to pursue graduate studies at the interna...

Application-based

$5,000

The J.B.C. Watkins Award: Architecture is offered to a Canadian professional architect wishing to pursue postgraduate studies outside Canada, idea...

Deadline

October 5, 2023

Competition suspended

The Jean A. Chalmers Fund for the Crafts assists non-profit visual arts organizations and fine crafts professionals in undertaking projects that c...

Competition suspended

The Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestra Conducting is given to a promising young Canadian conductor for their excellent work.

By Grant Application

$3,500

The Joan Yvonne Lowndes Award is given to an independent critic or curator in recognition of the outstanding quality of their writing on contempor...

Nomination-based

Up to
$95,000

The John G. Diefenbaker Award allows a distinguished German scholar in the humanities to conduct research in Canada and spend brief periods gainin...

Deadline

November 1, 2023

Application-based

$6,000 each

2 prizes of $6,000 each

  • 1 prize for the English-language community
  • 1 prize for the French-language community

The John Hirsch Prizes recognize the artistic merit and potential of emerging theatre directors.

Deadline

October 5, 2023

Application-based

Two awards of $10,000 each

The John Hobday Awards in Arts Management are granted to talented arts managers in Canadian professional arts organizations for professional devel...

Deadline

March 1, 2024

By Grant Application

Up to
$5,000

The Joseph S. Stauffer Prizes are awarded to Canadian artists who exhibit strong artistic potential in music, visual arts and literature.

Application-based

$7,500

The Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music is awarded annually to encourage professional composers from Canada to create new chamber music.

Deadline

June 1, 2024

Application-based

First Prize $25,000
Second Prize $15,000

The Michael Measures Prizes recognize promising young Canadian classical music performers.

Nomination-based

$50,000 each

2 prizes valued at $50,000 each:

  • 1 prize in the arts
  • 1 prize in the social sciences and humanities

The Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes are awarded to two persons – one in the arts and the other in the social sciences and humanities, wh...

Deadline

October 5, 2023

Application-based

Every three years, talented Canadian professional classical musicians compete for a chance to borrow one of the 20 legendary instruments from the ...

Next Deadline

December 1, 2022

Application-based

$10,000

The Peter Dwyer Scholarships are awarded to the most promising students at the both National Ballet School and the National Theatre School of Canada.

Application-based

$34,000

The Prix de Rome in Architecture for Emerging Practitioners is awarded to a recent graduate from a Canadian architectural school who has demonstra...

Deadline

October 5, 2023

Application-based

$50,000

The Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture is awarded to a young practitioner of architecture or an architectural firm that has completed their...

Deadline

October 5, 2023

By Grant Application

$2,000

The Robert Fleming Prize is awarded to an exceptionally talented young Canadian composer to further their career development.

Application-based

$10,000

The Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement is given to a practitioner of architecture or an architectural firm. The successful candidat...

Deadline

October 1, 2022

Nomination-based

$25,000
The winner’s artwork will be acquired by the Canadian Museum of History for its permanent collection

The Saidye Bronfman Award is a top distinction bestowed annually on a Canadian craftsperson for excellence in the fine crafts.

Deadline

June 1, 2024

Competition suspended

The Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Awards are given for outstanding artistic achievement by Canadian artists in seven disciplines: Dance, Inter-Arts...

Annual remittances

The Vida Peene Awards are made annually to eight specified organizations from the investment proceeds of an endowment worth almost $600,000.

Application-based

$25,000

The Virginia Parker Prize is awarded to a talented young classical musician, instrumentalist or conductor.

Deadline

April 2, 2024

Nomination-based

Up to
$50,000

The Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts recognizes the highest level of artistic merit and distinguished career achievement.

Deadline

April 30, 2024

Application-based

Up to
$30,000

The York Wilson Endowment Award enables art museums and non-profit public art galleries to purchase original works by living, contemporary Canadia...

Deadline

April 30, 2024

Donations

Individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations may make donations that contribute to the Council's mandate and strategic objectives and, more generally, to the recognition and outreach of arts in society.

Learn more about donations