Nominations for the 9th Annual Barbara Laronde Emerging Artist Award Are Now Open. Deadline to apply is January 31, 2024.

This award recognizes outstanding emerging Indigenous (Status and Non-Status First Nations, Métis, Inuit) artists from Northern Ontario who are women or otherwise gender marginalized/gender diverse (transfeminine, transmasculine, non-binary, Two Spirit, gender non-conforming). You can nominate yourself or another artist.

Eligibility

    • Must be 18 years of age or older
    • Must be an Indigenous person living in Northern Ontario (Métis, Inuit, Status, and Non-Status First Nations peoples).
    • This award is for women and other gender-marginalized folks. NWIA respects trans women as women and uses the term “gender marginalized” to be inclusive of not only women but also trans men and other transmasculine, transfeminine, non-binary, Two Spirit, and genderqueer folks. Cis-gendered, heterosexual men are not eligible for this award.
    • Must be at the emerging stages of an artistic career. NWIA defines an emerging artist as:
          • In the early stages of their career, regardless of age
          • Has created a modest body of work
          • Has had some evidence of professional achievement but may not yet have a substantial record of accomplishments.
          • One who is not yet recognized as an established or mid-career artist by other artists, curators, producers, critics, community members, and arts administrators.
    • Open to all artistic disciplines including:
          • Traditional/Customary Arts (examples: Beading, Carving, Quillwork, Tufting, Weaving)
          • Visual Arts (examples: Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Installation, and Performance Art)
          • Performing Arts (examples: Dance, Music, Theatre)
          • Media Arts (examples: Film, Video, New Media)
          • Literary Arts (examples: Prose, Poetry, Creative-Nonfiction, Spoken-Word)
    • Live in one of these geographical regions in northern Ontario:
          • Kenora District
          • Algoma District
          • Cochrane District
          • Manitoulin District
          • Nipissing District
          • Parry Sound District
          • Sudbury District
          • Timiskaming District
          • Rainy River District
          • Thunder Bay District
    • All eligible artists are encouraged to self-nominate.
    • Individuals can also nominate an eligible artist they feel deserves this award.
    • Individuals who have been shortlisted for the award previously are still eligible to win the award.
  • Previous winners of the Barbara Laronde Emerging Artist Award are ineligible to be shortlisted or win the award.

Please ensure your nomination includes all of the following items :

    • Artist Resume or CV
    • Short bio up to 250 words max
    • A maximum 1-page letter outlining why you, or the artist you are nominating, should receive this award.
    • Images, audio, written, or video support material of your artwork. Please do not send more than 10 individual files or any originals. 
  • Maximum 1-page letter of support from the nominator or in the case of a self-nomination, a letter from someone who is familiar with the nominee’s career in the arts.

Nominations Open: November 10, 2023

Nomination Deadline: January 31, 2024

Winner Announced: April 2024

Value of Award: $5,000 for prize winner/ $1,500 for up to 2 shortlisted nominees

Award Jury: * NWIA Board of Directors

Please submit your nomination directly to Native Women in the Arts at awards@nwia.ca You may also direct any inquiries to awards@nwia.ca

*In the event of a direct conflict of interest between an NWIA board member and a nominee, said NWIA Board members will recuse themselves from the selection process. Examples of direct conflicts of interest include a nominee being a family member, partner, employee, or employer of a board member, A board member being from the same community/band as a nominee, or having worked in collaboration with or curated a nominee in the past would not be considered a direct conflict of interest.