The Canada Council for the Arts is committed to equity and inclusion, and welcomes applications from diverse Aboriginal, cultural and regional communities, including people with disabilities.

Please refer to the complete Nomination Guidelines [PDF, 325.4 KB]. 

Two prizes of $50,000 each are awarded annually to distinguished Canadians, one in the arts and the other in the social sciences and humanities. Established in 1964, the prize is funded from the income of a $1 million endowment given to the Canada Council by the Molson Family Foundation, the Molson Prizes encourage Canadians honoured with this distinction to continue contributing to the cultural and intellectual heritage of Canada. The Canada Council administers the awards in conjunction with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and assumes responsibility for choosing the winners.

December 1, 2013

The prize is valued at $50,000.

By nomination only

These prizes are for individuals. Candidates must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. They do not need to be residing in Canada.

To be nominated, candidates must have made a substantial and distinguished contribution over a significant period. In the words of the deed of the gift, the prizes are intended “to encourage Canadians of outstanding achievement in the fields of the Arts, the Humanities or the Social Sciences to make further contribution to the cultural or intellectual heritage of Canada....” These terms of reference are interpreted as follows:

• candidates must have clearly demonstrated “outstanding achievement” in order to be nominated
• “further contribution” indicates that the candidates should still be active and productive.

Luiza Pereira, Program Officer
Endowments and Prizes
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8 

1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or 613-566-4414, ext. 4086

TTY: 1-866-585-5559

For a complete list of past recipients, please contact Luiza Pereira.