Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes
Mélanie Demers (left) and Jennifer Clapp (right)
Photographer(s): Julie Artacho (left) and Hilary Gauld (right)
Winners
Mélanie Demers (Arts)
A multidisciplinary artist, Mélanie Demers founded her Montréal-based dance company, MAYDAY, in 2007, exploring the powerful link between the poetic and the political. Her work entitled WOULD (2015) won Best Choreography from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ). After the acclaimed Danse Mutante (2019), she created La Goddam Voie Lactée (2021), Confession Publique (2021) and Cabaret Noir (2022), all resounding successes. In 2021, she received the Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal and, in 2022, the CALQ prize for Confession Publique. She then pivoted to theatre, directing Jordan Tannahill’s Déclarations at the Théâtre Prospéro, which she followed up with co-creating and acting in Affaires intérieures for Montréal’s Espace GO. The winner of a 2024 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, she presented l’amour ou rien in 2025. Mélanie creates and tours her works on every continent.
To learn more about Mélanie Demers, visit MAYDAY - Circuit-Est.
Jennifer Clapp (Social Sciences and Humanities)
Jennifer Clapp is a professor and Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability at the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo. She has published widely on the global governance of problems that arise at the intersection of the global economy, food systems and the natural environment. Professor Clapp is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an International Fellow of the Swedish Royal Academy of Agriculture and Forestry. Professor Clapp has received numerous awards for her interdisciplinary research.
To learn more about Jennifer Clapp, visit Jennifer Clapp | University of Waterloo.
The prizes
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.
Background
These prizes are funded by an endowment from The Molson Foundation.
Additional information
molson-prizes@canadacouncil.ca
1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or 613-566-4414, ext. 4086
Deadline
October 5, 2025
Annual competition
Prize amount
2 prizes of $50,000 each:
- 1 prize in the arts
- 1 prize in the social sciences and humanities
Nomination-based
For the upcoming prize deadline, nominations will be submitted through the online portal, opening in the summer of 2025.
The Canada Council is committed to equity in all its activities, including the administration of prizes and awards.
Collaborator
Accessibility
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