Nomination
Process
Image: Ann-Marie Kerr, The Best Show
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2026 Siminovitch Prize
For 2026, nominations are welcomed for playwrights, directors, designers, and multidisciplinary creators (artists who integrate a variety of disciplines in their work). Peers are invited to nominate an outstanding artist or group/ensemble who has developed a distinctive personal style or approach to their art and created an exceptional body of work that has made a remarkable and sustained contribution to Canadian theatre. This enrichment may occur, for example, through the development of new practices and methods, the rigorous pursuit of new questions and voices, the nurturing of rich collaborations, or any other process that serves the artist’s work.
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Eligibility
The Siminovitch Prize is awarded to an outstanding mid-career artist or group whose practice continues to grow, develop, and expand; it is not a lifetime achievement award
- Nominees must have at least ten years of experience and no more than thirty years of experience as professional artists in the discipline for which they are being nominated.
- Beginning in 2026, artists may be nominated no more than 5 times over a 20-year period. Any artist who has already reached five nominations in 2025 may receive one additional nomination before the 2030 Siminovitch Prize.
- Eligible artists are citizens or permanent residents of Canada, and actively working in theatre in Canada.
- Nominations must be submitted electronically using the online form, and self-nominations will not be considered.
- Current members of the Board or staff of the Siminovitch Theatre Foundation, as well as currently contracted workers, including the Jury Chair and members of the Jury, are ineligible for the Siminovitch Prize in the year in which they serve and may not nominate or write a letter of support for a nominee.
We seek nominations for theatre artists who are breaking new ground and whose outstanding artistic work makes a significant impact in their communities. Any questions regarding the eligibility of nominees are decided at the jury’s sole discretion.
Selection Process
A national jury of distinguished members of the theatre community is chosen annually to select the finalists and the winner. The Jury Chair leads the jury selection and presides over deliberations.
The jury will consider the following aspects of the artist’s work:
- Orignality
- Sense of evolution
- Growing maturity
- Continuing experimentation
- Impact upon audiences, their community, emerging artists, colleagues, and the art form.
Key Dates
Nominations Open – April 9, 2026
Nominations Close – June 1, 2026
Finalists Announced – October 2025 (TBC)
Siminovitch Prize Announced – November 30, 2026 (TBC)
Have questions about the nomination process? Contact us at info@siminovitchprize.com
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Submit a Nomination
Nominations for the 2026 Siminovitch Prize are currently closed. The online nomination form will open on April 9, 2026.
Image: Linda Brunelle, costume creation
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Submit a Nomination
Nominations for the 2026 Siminovitch Prize are now open. Click the button below to access the nomination form. If you have any
questions, please email info@siminovitchprize.com.
Image: Linda Brunelle, costume creation
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The Artist's Eye
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