Honouring contemporary craft practice

Craft Awards recognize accomplished and dedicated practitioners in the field of craft and design. 

The 2023 Craft Awards Program is now open! The application deadline is June 2nd, 11:59 pm EST.

Craft Ontario is pleased to announce that the 2023 Craft Awards Program has 15 awards open for application. Below you wlll find the list of Craft Awards, along with descriptions outlining conditions and requirements.

Successful recipients will be included in the 2023 Craft Award Recipient Group Exhibition, from October 12-November 4, 2023. 

The Craft Awards program is able to take place on an annual basis through the valued support of many generous donors and sponsors. Our thanks go to the following organizations, businesses and individuals: FUSION: the Ontario Clay and Glass Association, Gladstone House, JJStudio, Lacy West Supplies. Ltd., Leisa Rich and the Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op, The Pottery Supply House, Tuckers Pottery Supplies Ltd., as well as members and friends of the Copeland, Farndale, Gregor, Mather, Mayhall, McPherson, Shanks, Walker and Yung families.

We also invite you to take a look through past recipient work in the Craft Awards online gallery.

Craft Awards Application

2023 APPLICATION FORM

CRAFT AWARD DESCRIPTIONS

AWARD FAQ's

HOW TO APPLY:

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) Submissions in all craft media by Maker Members and prospective members at any stage of their career (emerging, mid or established), are welcome. Non-members, please review the program administration fees. 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.

3) Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

Any questions about this can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GENERAL 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 WORD (.doc) document or PDF, and all image files as JPGs.
• Work submitted for review must have been created within the last four years.
• A panel of seven 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, they are then 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.

Eligibility Requirements:

Each award has its own parameters for submission. Please read the eligibility and application requirements carefully before choosing which awards to apply for. Some awards are media-specific, while others are delineated according to career level:

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 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

For the Biography/Artist Statement, CV, Images and Support Material documents, you will need to upload these files directly into application form. 

If you have any difficulties with this process, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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

4) SUPPORT MATERIAL DOCUMENTS
Depending on the Award that you are applying for, you will need to submit additional information such as: a Studio Development Plan, Study Plan, Achievements and Future Directions Statement, and/or a Description of Community Involvement. 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.

Questions? Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.