Arts Awards | City of Hamilton

The City of Hamilton Arts Awards is one of the oldest programs of its kind in Canada and has been at the forefront of recognizing creative talent since 1976.

Each year, citizens nominate artists for consideration by independent juries of arts professionals who choose notable artists and arts community leaders to honour for their excellence and contributions to Hamilton. In 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award and Creator Award recipients will be presented with a cash award and a signature medallion. Arts Champions will receive a special gift of recognition. Learn more about previous Arts Awards recipients

2022 City of Hamilton

Arts Awards Event

The Hamilton Arts Awards are back! After two years of celebrating our remarkable arts community exclusively online, the City of Hamilton is excited to have offered a dynamic in-person experience on Thursday June 9, 7 to 9pm as part Hamilton Arts Week 2022.

To encourage the community to fall back in love with our city’s arts spaces, we hosted events at three venues (and online) simultaneously across Hamilton, each with their own unique flair, while also celebrating the 2022 Arts Awards Short List and Award Recipients.

Arts Awards Digital Magazine

View the 2022 Arts Awards Digital Magazine profiling the recipients’ careers and other key program content.

Learn about submitting

Arts Awards Nominations

2023 Nomination information

Available in Fall 2022. To be notified about the launch of 2023 nominations, sign up for our mailing list.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes living artists and arts professionals who have contributed substantially to the artistic vitality of the city over the course of a career, and have inspired others through their leadership, creativity and artistic excellence. These individuals’ experience and impact may be local, national or international in scope.

The Creator Awards recognize living artists, arts professionals and artistic collectives working in any artistic discipline and at any career level. A minimum of eight Creator Awards will be given each year to recognize artistic excellence and/or innovation that contributes to artistic growth in the city, progresses the artform and expresses the cultural vitality and diversity of Hamilton’s art scene.

Note: Emerging artists and bands / art collectives are eligible for nomination for this award.

The Arts Champion Award recognizes living individuals who are outstanding supporters of the arts in Hamilton as volunteers, advocates, or board members.

This is a non-monetary award and recipients will be given a special gift of recognition. This award is open to adults and youth over 14 years old.

The purpose of the program is to:

celebrate and build awareness of the incredible contribution that artists make to Hamilton
foster growth in the arts sector
develop the talent that drives this vital part of our city

Thank you to all the

Arts Awards Sponsors

The City of Hamilton Arts Awards gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the following award sponsors:

Arts Champion Awards

Arts Champion Awards recognize living individuals who are outstanding supporters of the arts in Hamilton as volunteers, advocates, or board members. This award is open to students and youth over 14 years old.

Sponsored by Incite Foundation

Lifetime Achievement Award

One Lifetime Achievement Award is conferred annually to recognize living artists or arts managers who have contributed substantially to the artistic vitality of the city over the course of a career, and have inspired others through their leadership, creativity and artistic excellence. These individuals’ experience and impact may be local, national or international in scope.

Sponsored by IPC Next Steps Planning

Creator Awards

This award recognizes artistic excellence and/or innovation that contributes to artistic growth in the city, progresses the artform and expresses the cultural vitality and diversity of Hamilton’s art scene. Living artists, arts managers or artistic collectives working in any artistic discipline and at any career level may receive this award.

Sponsored by BLR, LLP & dpai Architecture Inc.

In Kind Sponsor

Westinghouse HQ

Photography Sponsor

Banko Creative Studio

Stay informed about nomination and celebration opportunities

Subscribe to the Arts Awards mailing list

Notice of Collection
The City of Hamilton collects information under Section 227 of the Municipal Act, 2001. Any personal information collected for City of Hamilton Arts Awards newsletter will be used to email you the newsletter. By providing your email address, you are consenting to receiving emails from the City of Hamilton and/or their agents/contractors for information provision purposes. Information collected for this initiative may be stored on servers located in Canada and the United States and may be subject to Canadian and/or American laws.

Questions about the collection of this personal information can be directed to City of Hamilton Arts Awards, email [email protected] or call 905-546-2424 ext. 7612

Date modified

September 19, 2022