Open Call for Nominations - Toronto Arts Foundation Celebrates Artistic Excellence

TORONTO – Nominations for 2016 Toronto Arts Foundation Awards will open on February 15, 2016. Any person may submit a nomination including arts champions, fellow artists, arts managers and leaders, board directors.

The deadline for nominations is March 21, 2016. Toronto Arts Foundation Awards are presented to artists, cultural leaders and businesses in recognition of artistic excellence, cultural leadership and contribution to the arts. 

Toronto Arts Foundation makes decisions about its award finalists and winners through the peer assessment process. All eligible nominations are evaluated by a jury of professional artists and arts administrators.

Nominations will be considered for the following awards:

Arts for Youth Award – The Arts for Youth Award is a $15,000 cash prize established in 2007 by Martha Burns, Jim Fleck and Sandra and Jim Pitblado. The award celebrates an individual, collective or organization that has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to engaging Toronto’s youth through the arts and artistic creation. The winner of the Award will receive a $15,000 cash prize, with each finalist receiving $2,000. 
http://www.torontoartsfoundation.org/awards/awards-programs/arts-for-youth-award


The Toronto Arts and Business Award – The Toronto Arts and Business Award will celebrate a local business that has sponsored the arts for the first time and made an important contribution to the arts in Toronto through innovative, transformative and entrepreneurial partnerships. Established in 2006, this award is presented in partnership with Toronto Arts Foundation, Business for the Arts and The Toronto Star. 
http://www.torontoartsfoundation.org/awards/awards-programs/toronto-arts-and-business-award

Emerging Artist Award – The Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award is a $10,000 cash prize, with finalists receiving $1,250. The award celebrates the accomplishments and future potential of an emerging Toronto artist working in any discipline. Established in 2006, the award is generously sponsored by Susan Crocker and John Hunkin to support the development or completion of new work. The award given to finalist honourees was established in 2014 through the generous donation of the Bulmash-Siegel Fund. 
http://www.torontoartsfoundation.org/awards/awards-programs/emerging-artist-award

The Roy Thomson Hall Award of Recognition - The Roy Thomson Hall Award of Recognition is a $10,000 cash prize presented to an individual, ensemble or organization to recognize creative, performing, administrative, volunteer or philanthropic contributions to Toronto’s musical life. This award was established by the Volunteer Committee of Roy Thomson Hall in 1984 to recognize and thank the community that supported the conception, building and establishment of the new concert hall. Toronto Arts Foundation has managed the award since 2002 on behalf of the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall.
http://www.torontoartsfoundation.org/awards/awards-programs/roy-thomson-hall-award-of-recognition

The William Kilbourn Award for the Celebration of Toronto's Cultural Life - The William Kilbourn Award for the Celebration of Toronto’s Cultural Life is a $5,000 cash prize presented to an individual performer, teacher, administrator or creator in any arts discipline, including architecture and design, whose work is a celebration of life through the arts in Toronto. Established in 1996, this award is funded through an endowment made possible by private donors who wished to celebrate and remember the life of William Kilbourn who died in 1995. Kilbourn was a writer and teacher who spent seven years as a member of Toronto City Council, and served as Toronto Arts Council president from 1982 to 1984. http://www.torontoartsfoundation.org/awards/awards-programs/william-kilbourn-award​

The Emerging Jazz Artist Award - The Emerging Jazz Artist Award furthers the career of an outstanding emerging jazz artist and is intended to support the pre-production, production and/or recording of original music composed by the recipient. The Emerging Jazz Artist Award is a cash award of $10,000. Finalists receive $1,000. The award was established in 2014, through the generous donation of Cheryl and Manuel Buchwald, and will be given out annually for at least 10 years.
http://www.torontoartsfoundation.org/awards/vision-awards/emerging-jazz-artist-award

Nomination Forms: http://www.torontoartsfoundation.org/awards
Deadline: March 21, 2016 

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About Toronto Arts Foundation
Established in 1995, Toronto Arts Foundation is a charitable organization that encourages artistic excellence and increases access to the arts throughout the City of Toronto through private sector investment. Our vision Creative City: Block by Block is to connect every Toronto neighbourhood with the transformative socio-economic benefits of the arts. By supporting, celebrating, financing and advocating for Toronto’s artists, we can improve the quality of life for all Torontonians.

Contact information:

For more information about the Toronto Arts Foundation, please contact:
Jennifer Green, Associate Director, Toronto Arts Foundation at Jennifer@torontoarts.org or at 416-392-6802 x 207.

For questions about eligibility for the awards, please contact: 
Christy DiFelice, Music Officer, Toronto Arts Council at Christy@torontoartscouncil.org
or at 416-392-6802 x202