Celebrating Excellence and Mentorship



Elegibility
Nomination Procedure
Selection Process
Downloadable Nomination Form

 



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The Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre honours professional directors, playwrights and designers by acknowledging excellence and encouraging further exploration in Canadian theatre. The Siminovitch Prize was created in 2001 and is dedicated to distinguished scientist Lou Siminovitch and his late wife Elinore, a playwright. A jury awards the $100,000 prize annually.

Direction, playwriting and design are recognized in three-year cycles, beginning with the awards:

As a condition of the prize, one quarter of the prize amount ($25,000) will be awarded to a protégé designated by the recipient or to the recipient’s choice of institution (theatre or educational facility) that contributes to Canadian theatre. At the discretion of the primary prize recipient, the secondary prize may be split between no more than two protégés and/or institutions. The protégé must be involved in professional direction, playwriting, or design in Canadian theatre.

Canada’s largest annual theatre arts award, the 2008 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre will be given to a professional playwright who advances Canadian theatre through a body of work achieved in recent years, while influencing and inspiring younger theatre artists.

Nominations are welcome for professional playwrights who, in the preceding 10 years, have made a significant creative contribution to no fewer than two noteworthy theatre projects in Canada. Nominees will have developed a marked personal style or artistic approach to their craft, vision, technique, interests and/or collaborations. In addition, the jury will consider the following aspects of the artist’s work: originality, sense of evolution, growing maturity, continuing experimentation, impact upon audiences, and influence upon younger artists.

The recognition and resources associated with the prize will make a significant difference to the nominee, allowing and encouraging the artist to go further in the pursuit of his or her craft.

Artists are eligible whose work is performed for any language or theatrical genre in either the not-for-profit or commercial theatre sector in Canada.

Issues regarding the eligibility of nominees are decided at the sole discretion of the jury.