Governor General's Awards

The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by the Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor General's Literary Award. Successive governors general have followed suit, establishing an award for whichever endeavour they personally found important. Only Adrienne Clarkson created two Governor General's Awards—the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts and the Governor General's Medal in Architecture (though this was effectively a continuation of the Massey Medal, first established in 1950).

Governor General's Literary Awards

Since their creation in 1937, the Governor General's Literary Awards have become one of Canada's most prestigious prizes, awarded in both French and English in seven categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, children's literature (one each for text and illustration), and translation. The awards were created by the Lord Tweedsmuir, himself the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps. The awards first honoured only two authors each year, and only those who wrote in English.

The Stephen Leacock Award for humor literature, while administered separately from the Governor General's Awards and presented to the winners at a separate ceremony, made its initial announcements of award winners as part of the Governor General's Awards announcements in this era.[1][2][3]

In 1957, the awards were put under the administration of the Canada Council for the Arts and a cash prize began to be awarded to the winner. By 1980, the council began to announce the finalists for the awards a month before they were presented, in order to attract more media attention, and, in 2007, the cash prize was increased to $25,000.

During her tenure from 1999 to 2005, then Governor General Adrienne Clarkson made an effort to obtain from fairs and second hand shops copies of every Governor General's Literary Awards winning book for the governor general's study at Rideau Hall. As of 2005, the library there had amassed a complete collection of the winning books to date.[4]

Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case

The Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case have been presented since their creation by Edward Schreyer in 1979,[5] and honour the promotion of equality for girls and women in Canada. Five awards are given annually to candidates chosen from across the country, in addition to one award to a Canadian youth.[6] The awards are administered by Status of Women Canada, and may be presented to persons of either gender; Ben Barry became the first man to win the award when he was presented it in 2008.[5]

Governor General's Performing Arts Awards

The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are the foremost honours presented for excellence in the performing arts, in the categories of dance, classical music, popular music, film, broadcasting, and theatre. They were initiated in 1992 by then Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn and the first recipients were William Hutt, Gweneth Lloyd, Dominique Michel, Mercedes Palomino, Oscar Peterson, Léopold Simoneau, Norman Jewison, and Gilles Maheu and CARBONE 14.[7] Initially, the award came with a $15,000 prize from the Canada Council; today's winners receive $25,000 and a medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.[8] In addition, two complementary awards are given: The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts, recognizing the voluntary services to the performing arts by an individual or group, and the National Arts Centre Award, which recognizes an individual artist's or company's work during the past performance year. There is also a mentorship program that connects award recipients with artists in their early to mid-career.[8] Since 2008, the National Film Board of Canada has produced short films about each of the laureates, which are screened at the awards ceremony and streamed online.[9]

Governor General's History Awards

Governor General Roméo LeBlanc and the National History Society in 1996 created the Governor General's History Awards to honour excellence in the teaching of Canadian history. The society then, working with other Canadian history organizations (including the Begbie Society, Canadian Historical Association, Canadian Museums Association, and Historica-Dominion Institute), expanded the scope of the awards beyond simply school teachers to include others who taught history in other ways and venues. There are now five specific awards within the Governor General's History Awards: the Governor General's History Awards for Excellence in Teaching, the Governor General's History Award for Scholarly Research (Sir John A. Macdonald Prize), the Governor General's History Award for Popular Media (Pierre Berton Award), the Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Museums, and the Governor General's History Awards for Excellence in Community Programming.[10]

Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts

The Governor General's Awards in Visual Arts and Media Arts were first presented in 2000. The Canada Council for the Arts funds and administers the awards.

Six prizes are awarded annually to visual and media artists for distinguished career achievement in fine arts (painting, drawing, photography, print-making and sculpture, including installation and other three-dimensional work), applied arts (architecture and fine crafts), independent film and video, or audio and new media. One prize is awarded annually for outstanding contributions to the visual or media arts in a volunteer or professional capacity. The value of each award is $15,000. An independent peer jury of senior visual and media arts professionals selects the winners.

Governor General's Medals in Architecture

The Governor General's Medals in Architecture have been presented since 1982, continuing the tradition of the Massey Medals, which had been awarded between 1950 and 1970. Up to twelve medals are awarded every two years, with no distinction among the medals awarded. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada administers the competition.

Other

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Prof. Lower's History Gets Vice-Regal Award". Winnipeg Tribune, April 19, 1947.
  2. ↑ "Win Governor General's Awards in Annual Literary Contest". Ottawa Journal, June 11, 1949.
  3. ↑ "Governor General's Awards Announced for Two Authors". Ottawa Journal, May 23, 1953.
  4. ↑ Barrett, Maurie (October 2006). "The Great Hunt for Governor General's Literary Award Winners". Amphora (The Alcuin Society) 144. Retrieved April 27, 2006.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Status of Women Canada (31 December 2008). "The Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case > Past Recipients". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  6. ↑ Status of Women Canada (31 December 2008). "The Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case > Introductory Note". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  7. ↑ "Award Recipients", Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, 04 May 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The Awards". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  9. ↑ "Short Films". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  10. ↑ Office of the Governor General of Canada (15 November 2013). "2013 Governor General's History Awards". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  11. ↑ Office of the Governor General of Canada (23 June 2010). "Award in Celebration of the Nation's Table". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 2 July 2010.

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