Awards of Outstanding Achievement
The Awards of Outstanding Achievement recognize exceptional museum projects in a variety of different categories. The CMA awards committee assesses all submissions and winners are selected by majority vote. If the committee is unable to identify a suitable achievement, no award is given. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Categories
The Awards of Outstanding Achievement are given in the following eleven (11) categories:
Conservation, Education, Exhibitions, Facility Development and Design, Journalism, Management, Marketing, Philanthropy, Publications, Research and Sponsorship.
The categories can be grouped and defined as follows:
Stabilization
- Facility Development and Design: For demonstrated excellence in function, vision, innovation, environmentalism, accessibility, or architecture.
- Management: For outstanding leadership, by a team or individual, that contributes to the improvement of the organization or excellence in professional practice.
- Marketing: For effective marketing tools, including advertising campaigns, public relations and promotional programs, which increase public awareness, and bring more visitors to museums.
Preservation
- Conservation: For excellence in preservation and conservation practices.
- Education: For programming that advances knowledge and understanding by reaching new audiences or enhancing existing ones.
- Exhibitions: For temporary, permanent, or traveling exhibitions that effectively and distinctively contribute to increased public understanding.
- Publications: For books, catalogues, and other printed materials, that are distinguished by their quality of concept and design, writing, effectiveness of finished product, and technical production quality.
- Research: For research activities carried out in museums or applied to museum practice that contribute to the development of new knowledge and understanding.
Public support / Engagement
- Journalism: For a journalist or publication that has made a dedicated commitment to reporting on relevant museum issues.
- Philanthropy: For an individual or organization that has been generous to museums in Canada without any expectation of reward.
- Sponsorship: For sponsors who have made notable contributions to and demonstrated support for museum work in Canada.
Eligibility
Open to any individual, team or institution in the museum field, with the exception of the members of the CMA awards committee. Projects must be completed during the year of application.
Deadline
November 15 each year.
Criteria
Projects will be assessed against the following:
- Diffusion: Promotes physical, intellectual and social outreach.
- Inclusion: Reflects upon and represent both accessibility and diversity.
- Innovation: Promotes new and creative ideas.
- Practices: Exceeds the current standards of museum practice.
- Relevance: Demonstrates relevance to the communities served.
- Resources: Demonstrates an effective use of available resources.
- Vision: Advances a vision of the future of museums, of what could be.
Nomination instructions
Nominations may be made by the person or group who carried out the project, or by a third party, and must be sponsored by someone with individual or institutional
membership in the CMA.
Complete and print the Nomination Form and attach the required documents:
- A full project description, max. 2 pages. Attach as Appendix 1.
- A project explanation, max 4 pages, that details what makes this project an outstanding achievement, how it meets the selection criteria. Attach as Appendix 2.
- 10 digital photos or images presenting the project / program nominated.
- Six (6) copies of any support materials. Note this material will not be returned.
Complete Canadian Museums Association Awards Package [PDF]
Nomination Form for the Outstanding Achievement Award [PDF]
Mail your application to:
CMA Awards of Outstanding Achievement
Canadian Museums Association
280 Metcalfe Street, Suite 400
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1R7
Questions? Contact:
613-567-0099
awards@museums.ca
