News Release

Toronto, June 23, 2020 – The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) and the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) are pleased to announce the shortlists for the 2020 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards.  The Schwartz Awards are the only Canadian literary award where student juries work together to choose the winning books. The 2020 winners are being chosen by two student juries from Canada’s […]

June 21, 2020: Jesse Thistle, Arielle Twist, Michelle Sylliboy, and Elaine McArthur were among this year’s Indigenous Voices Awards (IVAs) recipients announced during an online gala hosted by past IVAs recipient Smokii Sumac. Including this year’s combined prize money of $30,000 (CAD), the IVAs have awarded a total of $70,000 over the past three years to Indigenous writers for published and unpublished writing

Toronto, June 17, 2020 – Toronto-based set and costume designer Sean Mulcahy is the 2020 recipient of the $20,000 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design.  The award is given annually to a professional costume designer in Ontario in mid-career to further enrich their career. About Sean Mulcahy Sean is a Toronto based designer whose work has been seen

Toronto, June 10, 2020 – Peterborough artist, Alex Bierk is this year’s recipient of the Laura Ciruls Painting Award. The $5,000 award is given annually to recognize an Ontario based mid-career painter. About Alex BierkAlex Bierk has presented his works internationally in exhibitions in Copenhagen, Paris and Stockholm, as well as at numerous art fairs including UNTITLED (New York),

Toronto – May 26, 2020 – The Ontario Arts Foundation is pleased to confirm that it has made a special distribution of $1.0 million to over 200 arts organizations across the Province of Ontario from funds established under the Arts Endowment Fund program. “We recognize the extraordinary stresses arts organizations are facing in the current COVID-19 environment, where performances,

Toronto – March 26, 2020 – The Ontario Arts Foundation is pleased to confirm that $ 3.3 million in endowment income payments have been disbursed to 261 arts organizations across the Province of Ontario earlier this month. The annual payout represents income earned on endowments created by arts organizations and funded jointly by the private sector and the government

Toronto  – March 10, 2020 – The Gina Wilkinson Prize Committee is pleased to announce that Jasmine Chen is the recipient of the ninth annual Gina Wilkinson Prize for an Emerging Female Director.  This annual prize of $ 5,000 honours female theatre artists transitioning to directing. About Jasmine ChenJasmine is a Chinese-Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto/Vancouver.  She is the

Toronto, ON, March 4, 2020 – The Ellen Ross Stuart Awards Committee is pleased to announce the 2019/2020 winners of the Ellen Ross Stuart Opening Doors Awards.   2019/2020 Award Recipients   Madeleine BrownMadeleine Brown is a playwright and actor from Peterborough, Ontario now based in Toronto. Her last three comedies debuted at the Toronto Fringe

Toronto, February 26, 2020  – Shelley Niro is this year’s recipient of the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award. This year’s award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of art photography. Niro will be presented this $30,000 award at the Robert Langen Art Gallery on March 5th where she will be giving a lecture for her exhibition, “Something Cold

Toronto, February 24, 2020 – A new annual award celebrating young comediennes at the beginning of their careers is being launched this spring. The Deborah Jarvis Award for Emerging Comediennes, sponsored by the Second City Training Centre in Toronto, will identify and award talented young comediennes at the beginning of their careers. The award is in honour of the