Community Arts Award

Celebrating the vital contributions that artists and organizations make in Toronto’s communities.

"This award gave me the support and recognition I needed at that crucial moment moving between emerging and mid-career. The support was invaluable and allowed me to create new and exciting work around diversity in the city!"  Syrus Marcus Ware, 2017 Community Arts Award recipient

NOMINATIONS OPEN

Deadline: Accepting nominations from September 13 - November 27, 2023 (for an award presentation in 2024)  

About: The Toronto Arts Foundation Community Arts Award is a $10,000 cash prize, with finalists receiving $1,000 each. The award celebrates an individual artist or arts organization or collective that has made a significant contribution in Toronto by working with, in and for communities, while increasing access to arts and culture. Established in 2013 as the Diversity Award, it was renamed the Community Arts Award in 2018. The Community Arts Award is generously sponsored by MOD Developments Inc. Award eligibility rotates from individuals to organizations or collectives in alternating prize years. In 2024, the award will be presented to an individual. The Community Arts Award is presented every year at the Mayor’s Arts Lunch.

Eligibility Criteria:

To be eligible for the award, all nominees must demonstrate a commitment and/or focus on community-engaged arts and access to arts and culture in Toronto. The nominee may not be awarded more than one Toronto Arts Foundation award within any given year.

In addition, the nominee (for individuals) must:

Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident 

  • Be a Toronto-based professional artist 
  • Demonstrate a commitment to or focus on community-engaged arts
  • May only receive the award once (this does not preclude a recipient from being considered for a different Toronto Arts Foundation award in the future)
  • Not be serving as board or committee members of the Toronto Arts Foundation or Toronto Arts Council
  • Nominees are welcome to nominate themselves

In addition, the nominee:

  • Must be a Toronto-based organization/collective that has been in operation for one year or more
  • Must have demonstrated a commitment to or focus on community-engaged arts
  • Are only eligible to receive this award once
  • With the exception of the Newcomer Artist Award, no person or organization may be selected for more than one Toronto Arts Foundation award within any given year and no person or organization may receive the same Toronto Arts Foundation award twice. This does not preclude a recipient from being considered for a different Toronto Arts Foundation award in the future.

For more information about the award, including how to apply, visit Toronto Arts Foundation’s website https://torontoartsfoundation.org/initiatives/awards/community-arts-award

Contact Info: For questions, please contact Hasanika Mediwake at hasanika[at]torontoarts[dot]org

 

FINALISTS

Recipients