Nominations open for 2022 Arts and Culture Awards

July 13, 2022

Nominations now open for 2022 Arts and Culture Awards

The Town of Orangeville is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Arts and Culture Awards. The community is invited to recognize and celebrate the individuals, businesses, and organizations that contribute to the abundant cultural and creative talent in Dufferin County.

Since the awards were introduced in 2010, over 90 winners and hundreds of nominees have been celebrated in eight different categories. Three individual awards recognize artists at different stages – established, emerging, and student. The Arts Educator award honours a teacher or instructor who offers creative learning experiences for students. The Community Arts Volunteer award celebrates an individual who has offered time or talent to arts and culture initiatives. The creative contributions of local businesses, organizations, and events are also eligible for recognition.

The definition of arts and culture is broad and inclusive. Visual art, music, dance, film, theatre, written mediums, culinary arts, graphic design, online events, and more can all be considered. Nominators are also encouraged to recognize the perseverance of individuals and groups who have overcome many challenges, particularly over the past few years. “The talent and tenacity of our creative sector has been displayed in many new and innovative ways since the beginning of the pandemic,” says Councillor Lisa Post, Chair of the Cultural Plan Task Force. “The awards provide a meaningful opportunity for the community to recognize the determination of our local artists, educators, volunteers, businesses, and organizations.” To ensure that the efforts and creativity of all individuals and groups can be recognized, this year’s awards allow previous winners to be nominated.

The nomination process is simple and requires only a brief description of the nominee’s contributions. Anyone wanting to recognize an individual, business, or organization is invited to review the award criteria and complete the online nomination at https://www.orangeville.ca/ACAwardsNominate/.  The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, August 17 at 4 p.m. Nominees must reside in Dufferin County. Self-nominations are accepted and past winners can be nominated in the same category. All nominees will have an opportunity to provide judges with additional information once the Town has received the nominations.   

After two years of virtual presentations, the 2022 celebration will be an in-person gathering at the Opera House on Thursday, September 29 at 7 p.m. All are invited to attend to honour this year’s nominees and celebrate the winners from the previous 12 years.

The first Arts & Culture Awards in Orangeville were introduced in 2010 to celebrate the first national Culture Days, an annual celebration that promotes arts, culture, and creativity across Canada. Again this year, the awards presentation will coincide with Culture Days 2022, running from September 23 to October 16.

For more information about the nomination process, past winners, and award criteria, visit the Town’s website at www.orangeville.ca/ACAwards/.