STEPS FOR APPLYING
1) Review the award descriptions and requirements carefully to decide which awards you will apply for. You may apply for more than one award, but will only be considered for those where your work experience or medium fit the eligibility requirements.
2) Please note that you no longer need a Maker Membership to apply for the Craft Awards. If you are not a member of Craft Ontario, you will need to pay a $10 Admin Fee at the end of this application form. However, if you currently have an active membership you do not need to pay the admin fee.
If you are not a member and are the recipient of an award, you will be required to purchase a Maker Membership prior to receiving the Award Funds.
Any questions about this can be directed to awards@craftontario.com.
3) Submit your application by Monday June 1, 2026, 11:59 pm EST. Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.
RULES AND FAQS:
- Make sure that all document and image files can be processed by a PC computer. It is your responsibility to ensure that submitted files are not corrupt, illegible or improperly formatted. Please save your CV as a PDF, and all image files as JPGs.
- Work submitted for review must have been created within the last four years.
- A panel of jurors will assess submissions according to the quality of the work shown, not by merit or need demonstrated in supporting documents such as study or studio plans.
- An applicant cannot receive the same award twice. If an award has been won by an applicant in a previous program year, the applicant is ineligible to apply for that award a second time.
- Current Craft Ontario staff and board members are ineligible to apply to the Craft Awards program.
-The Craft Awards are open to applicants primarily living and/or working in Canada.
-All 2026 Craft Award Recipients will be included in the 2026 Craft Award Recipient Group Exhibition at the Craft Ontario Gallery (October 9 - November 7, 2026).
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Please carefully review the eligibility of an award before applying. You will not be considered for an award if it does not correspond with your career level or media.
EMERGING: This category is for emerging makers and is reserved for those in the early years of their professional careers who may still be undertaking undergraduate or graduate studies and have a small exhibition record.
- You must have less than 8 years of professional practice to apply for awards in this category.
MID-CAREER: This category is for crafts professionals in mid-career and includes those past the early stages of their career who have produced a reasonable body of work and may have a fair degree of public exposure.
- You must have at least 8 to 15 years of professional practice to apply to this category.
ESTABLISHED: This category is for established craft professionals and includes those with an extensive body of work and with a history of national and international exhibitions and/or those who have achieved a wide degree of recognition.
- You must have at least 15 years of professional practice in order to apply to this category.
APPLICATION DOCUMENTS:
Your complete application must include:
1) BIOGRAPHY/ARTIST STATEMENT
Provide a 100 – 200 word description of your professional background and current practice.
2) CURRICULUM VITAE/RESUME
Provide a maximum three-page list of your education, exhibition record, awards, commissioned work, and experience teaching or leading workshops.
3) 10 PROFESSIONAL IMAGES OF YOUR WORK
Select a MAXIMUM of 10 professional quality digital images of your work.
Do not include more than one work per image (unless it is a sculptural group), and do not include text descriptions within the image. You may repeat a single work in several different images. For example, use two or three images to show alternate angles of a single work, or include additional detail shots that highlight the materials and techniques of an individual piece.
Make sure that you are submitting the best quality images to represent your work. The jury will be selecting recipients based on the images submitted. Have someone review your images before you submit to ensure that the photographs properly describe your work, and work with a professional if you need help!
Prepare images using the following specifications:
- Each image must have a minimum resolution of 72 dpi.
- Each image must have a minimum measurement of 1000 pixels on one side.
- Each image file size should be approximately 1 – 5 MB. Do not submit image files that are over 5 MB.
- Save your images as jpg files.
If you need assistance in formatting images, see www.wikihow.com/Resize-Digital-Photos
Name your images with the following format: First name, Last name, image number. For example: Jane_Smith_01.jpg; Jane_Smith_02.jpg; Jane_Smith_03.jpg
4) SUPPORT MATERIAL DOCUMENTS
Depending on the Award that you are applying for, you will need to submit additional information such as: a Study Plan, A Residency Plan, Achievements and Future Directions Statement, Description of Community Involvement, and/or a signed Code of Conduct Agreement. Read the Award requirements carefully, and include the necessary information in a word or pdf document. Please include a title for each section that indicates which award(s) the supporting text is intended for.
IMPORTANT: Award applications with incomplete support information will not be considered.
Make sure that all document and image files can be processed by a PC computer. It is your responsibility to ensure that submitted files are not corrupt, illegible or improperly formatted. Please save your CV as a WORD (.doc) document or PDF, and all image files as JPGs.