Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes

Françoise Baylis, Joséphine Bacon
Photo: Nick Pearce, Dalhousie University (top), Benoit Rochon (bottom)
Current winners
Joséphine Bacon (Arts)
Joséphine Bacon is an Innu poet from Pessamit, born in 1947. A filmmaker and speaker, she is considered a beacon of Quebec literature and a great cultural ambassador for First Nations. Heavily involved in the Indigenous literary and artistic scenes, she has inspired younger generations to take pride in their Indigenous heritage and to defend their languages and their culture. She has published four collections of poetry with publisher Mémoire d’encrier: Bâtons à message · Tshissinuatshitakana (2009), Nous sommes tous des sauvages (2011, written with José Aquelin), Un thé dans la toundra · Nipishapui nete mushuat (2013) and Uiesh · Quelque part (2018). In collaboration with Institut Tshakapesh, she has also published the anthology Nin Auass · Moi l’enfant (2021, written with Laure Morali). Joséphine Bacon has received numerous awards and distinctions.
Françoise Baylis (Social sciences and humanities)
Françoise Baylis is a bioethicist, professor and philosopher who holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario. She is currently with the International Science Council and Distinguished Research Professor Emerita at Dalhousie University. She is renowned for her academic research in healthcare ethics at the intersection of policy and practice. Her advocacy and activism are grounded in a commitment to “make the powerful care.” Baylis is the author of Altered Inheritance: CRISPR and the Ethics of Human Genome Editing. In 2022, she was awarded the Killam Prize for the Humanities.
For more information about Françoise Baylis’ work, visit her website.
Read more about the 2023 winnersWhat is this prize?
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, who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding achievements. The prizes are intended to encourage ongoing contributions to Canada's cultural and intellectual heritage.
These prizes are administered by the Canada Council in collaboration with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The winners are chosen by a peer assessment committee, which is appointed jointly by the Canada Council and the SSHRC.
Who created this prize?
These prizes are funded by an endowment from the Molson Foundation.
For more information
molson-prizes@canadacouncil.ca
1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or 613-566-4414, ext. 4086
Deadline
Annual
Prize amount
$50,000 each
2 prizes valued at $50,000 each:
- 1 prize in the arts
- 1 prize in the social sciences and humanities
By nomination
Updated guidelines will be posted 2 months prior to the deadline. You can submit a nomination to molson-prizes@canadacouncil.ca.
We are committed to equity in all our activities, including the administration of our prizes and awards.
Collaborator

Accessibility
For people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or TTY users, please use your preferred MRS (Message Relay Service) or IP service to contact us.

The Canada Council also welcomes VRS (Video Relay Service) calls. For more information, please visit the VRS Canada website.