Nominees for the RBC Emerging Artist Award must meet all the following criteria:

• Be a Calgary resident since the beginning of the nomination year (2022).
• Have an artistic career that has not exceeded five years.
• Be currently pursuing their artistic work in Calgary and show an ongoing commitment to their artistic practice.

Individuals may self-nominate for this award. Nomination packages must include the following:

• One (1) copy of the nominee’s artist resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
• One (1) copy of the nomination form, available at the end of this document, signed by both the nominee and nominator.
• One (1) copy of a 30-word synopsis of why the nominee has been nominated (may be used for publication and media purposes in the event the nominee is selected to receive the award).
• One (1) letter of nomination (1,000 words or less) from a peer or colleague within the artist’s field of work. If an artist is self-nominating, someone other than the artist must write this letter and fill in the nominator section of the form.
• Example(s) demonstrating the work of the nominee as it pertains to this award (maximum five individual examples). Please note the example(s) must be submitted in the following file formats, and each file can be a maximum of 3MB: JPEG, PDF, DOC, DOCX, MP3, YouTube or Vimeo link.

The awards jury will be composed of artistic peers and community members based in Calgary. 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 alternate will replace the jury member in question. The jury will operate with strict confidentiality. All decisions are final. Calgary Arts Development may screen nominations to verify eligibility.

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

Artistic Merit – Maximum of Six Points

• How is the nominee’s artistic expression unique?
• How can the nominee’s level of accomplishment be measured against peers at similar stages of development?
• Is the nominee recognized as a professional by their peers?
• The body of work by the artist as expressed in their resume.

Impact on the Community – Maximum of Five Points

• What is the nominee’s commitment to Calgary’s arts community?

Impact on the Artist – Maximum of Three Points

• To what extent will the award help the nominee develop their career?

Special Considerations – Maximum of One Point

• Are there any extenuating considerations that are not addressed by the criteria above?

All nominators and nominees will receive acknowledgement of receipt by mail and email, and will be notified of whether their applications were successful.

The recipient will be asked to keep the status of their nomination confidential until the official announcement of recipients by Calgary Arts Development and will also be asked to accommodate the filming of a recipient video.

The deadline for uploading completed nomination packages has been extended to May 16, 2022. Complete applications must be submitted online through the form below on or before the deadline. Incomplete or late nominations will not be accepted or considered. 

If you have nominated someone and did not receive acknowledgement of receipt or notification, please contact Kaley Beisiegel at kaley.beisiegel@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

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

• One (1) copy of the nominee’s resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
• One (1) copy of the nomination form, signed by both the nominee and nominator.
• One (1) copy of a letter of nomination (1,000 words or less) written and signed by a peer or colleague within the artist’s field of work.
• One (1) copy of a 30-word synopsis of why the nominee has been nominated.
• Up to five (5) examples demonstrating the work of the nominee and their suitability for this award. As few as one example is acceptable.