Calgary Arts Academy Youth Arts Award

Nominees for the Calgary Arts Academy Youth Arts Award must:

• Be between 13 and 21 years old at the time of the awards ceremony.
  • Please note, the nominee does NOT need to be a student of Calgary Arts Academy..
• Speak to how their work demonstrates the ‘Circle of Courage,’ which includes the values that form key principals guiding Calgary Arts Academy:
  • Belonging
  • Mastery (e.g. learning/self-defined success)
  • Independence
  • Generosity
• Have a history of ‘public’ performance/exhibition (e.g. school or community performances/exhibitions).
• Demonstrate an interest in pursuing an artistic practice at a higher level, e.g. further education and/or training in a post-secondary institution or recognized arts organization.

Nomination packages must include:

• A letter of nomination from an individual who has championed the young artist’s work and/or development as an artist (up to 250 words).
• A statement from the nominee that speaks to their work (up to 500 words). The statement may speak to:
  • How their work demonstrates the values of the ‘Circle of Courage’ listed above.
  • Their interest in pursuing an artistic practice at a higher level.
  • Their history of public performance/exhibition.
• No more than five examples of the artist’s work (optional).
• Signed nomination declaration form.

The awards jury will be composed of arts educators, artists and community members based in Calgary, including a representative from the Calgary Arts Academy and a representative from the Calgary Arts Academy Foundation. Jury members are not disclosed in advance of the official announcement of recipients by Calgary Arts Development.

In the event of a perceived conflict of interest, an alternative will replace the jury member in question. The jury will operate with strict confidentiality. All decisions are final. Applications will be screened to verify eligibility, and a preliminary assessment may be done to create a smaller selection for the final jury to evaluate.

The award recipient will be selected based on the following criteria:

• How the artist’s work speaks to the values of the ‘Circle of Courage’ (5 points)
• How the artist’s work has developed (5 points)
• The impact the artist has had in their community (5 points)
• The artist’s interest in pursuing an artistic practice at a higher level (7 points)
• The artist’s history of public performance/exhibition (3 points)

All nominators will receive acknowledgement of receipt by email, and will be notified of whether their applications were successful. The nominee and nominator will be asked to keep the status of their nomination confidential until the official announcement of award recipients by Calgary Arts Development. They will also be required to accommodate the filming of a recipient video on one day between April 13 – 17, 2026, attend the event celebrating the arts on May 4, 2026, and be available for media interviews/photographs following the event.

The deadline for uploading completed nomination packages is 4:30pm on March 10, 2026. Completed applications must be submitted through Calgary Arts Development’s website on or before the deadline. Incomplete or late nominations will not be accepted or considered. Submit your application here.

If you have nominated someone and did not receive acknowledgement of receipt or notification, please contact awards@calgaryartsdevelopment.com. 

Before submitting your nomination package, ensure that you have prepared: 

• One (1) copy of a letter of nomination from an individual who has championed the young artist’s work and/or development as an artist (up to 250 words).
• A statement from the nominee that speaks to their work (up to 500 words). The statement may speak to:
  • How their work demonstrates the values of the ‘Circle of Courage’ listed above.
  • Their interest in pursuing an artistic practice at a higher level.
  • Their history of public performance/exhibition.
• Up to five examples of the artist’s work (optional).