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.
Featured Prizes
Eligibility
Three ways to apply
Application-based
Apply to the Council or to our partners.
Nomination-based
Submit a third-party nomination to the Council or to our partners.
Grant-based
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 celebrate the relationship between Japan and Canada through literature.
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 ...
Grant-based
$8,000
The Canada Council Photography Prize is awarded to professional photographers for personal creative work or professional development.
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.
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...
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.
Application-based
$5,000
The Healey-Willan Prize is awarded for the best performance in the National Competition for Amateur Choirs.
Grant-based
$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...
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...
Award amount $20,000
This award is given out as part of other Canada Council for the Arts programs.
The Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestra Conducting is given to a promising young Canadian conductor for their excellent work.
Grant-based
$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...
Competition suspended
The John G. Diefenbaker Award allows a distinguished German scholar in the humanities to conduct research in Canada and spend brief periods gainin...
Application-based
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.
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...
Grant-based
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
The next competition will be held in 2026. Two prizes will be awarded to outstanding professional composers and sound creators.
Amount
$7,500
The Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music is awarded annually to encourage professional composers from Canada to create new chamber music.
First prize
$25,000
Second prize
$15,000
The Michael Measures Prizes recognize promising young Canadian classical music performers.
Nomination-based
2 prizes of $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...
Application-based
Every three years, talented Canadian professional classical musicians compete for a chance to borrow one of the 20 legendary instruments from the ...
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...
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...
Grant-based
$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...
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.
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
$30,000
The Virginia Parker Prize is awarded to a talented young classical musician, instrumentalist or conductor.
Nomination-based
The next competition will be in 2026. Two prizes will be awarded, for music and dance.
Amount
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.
Application-based
The next competition will be in 2026. Two awards will be presented to non-profit art museums and/or public art galleries for the purchase of original works by contemporary artists from Canada.
Amount
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...
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.