Currently pursuing her MFA at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, ceramic artist Alwyn O’Brien (Salt Spring Island, BC) was the first recipient of the One of a Kind Show/Gardiner Museum Emerging Artist Award in 2007. Look for Alwyn at an upcoming One of a Kind Show and Sale in Vancouver, Canada.

For over 30 years, the One of a Kind Show has been helping artists and craftspeople from across the country to make a living out of their passion. We know it can be a challenging thing to do, especially in the early stages of a career. And we want to do more to help! Read more...

In 2008, the awards will be administered, presented and delivered by the following partners:

Members of the media are invited to visit our Media page.

The One of a Kind Show would like to thank our generous sponsors:

One of a Kind Show sponsors  

Join your peers! Click here to examine all the advantages of exhibiting with the One of a Kind Show.

Applications to be considered in the first round of jurying must be received by August 15, 2008 (for the Spring 2009 One of a Kind Toronto Show and Sale) and April 17, 2009 (for Christmas 2009 One of a Kind Toronto Show and Sale). All applications received after the 1st round of jurying will continue to be considered and reviewed.

  • Click to request more information about the One of a Kind Show and Sale.
  • Click to download a copy of the english application.
  • Cliquez pour téléchargez une application française.

Version française

One of a Kind Awards for Excellence

For over 30 years, the One of a Kind Show has been helping artists and craftspeople from across the country to make a living out of their passion. We know it can be a challenging thing to do, especially in the early stages of a career. And we want to do more to help!

The One of a Kind Show is excited to introduce a brand new awards program to help develop the careers of emerging artists and craftspeople. The awards are presented in partnership with the Crafts Association of British Columbia (CABC), the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics, the Harbourfront Centre Craft Department, the Ontario Crafts Council (OCC), and the Textile Museum of Canada.

There are five awards:

  • The One of a Kind Award for Excellence in Craft (Eastern Canada), presented by the Ontario Crafts Council
  • The One of a Kind Award for Excellence in Craft (Western Canada), presented by the Crafts Association of British Columbia
  • The One of a Kind Award for Excellence in Ceramics, presented by the Gardiner Museum
  • The One of a Kind Award for Excellence in Glass, presented by the Harbourfront Centre Craft Department
  • The One of a Kind Award for Excellence in Textiles, presented by the Textile Museum of Canada

Award winners will receive:

  • $1000 cash prize
  • A free 5 x 10 booth to exhibit your work at ANY ONE of the 2009 One of a Kind Shows (Toronto – Spring or Christmas; or Vancouver)*
  • Promotion on the One of a Kind Show website and the website of the administering institution, in press releases prior to the show, and highlighted listings in the One of a Kind show programs
  • For the CABC and OCC awards only – one year’s free membership in the craft council administering the award

*For the Christmas 2009 show in Toronto, the award winner’s 5x10 booth will be in either the 5 or 6 day section of the show.

Am I eligible?

The One of a Kind Awards are for high-quality emerging artists and craftspeople, who have been practicing their art/craft for less than 5 years.  The award winner must be a graduate of a post-secondary education in their chosen field, have participated in at least one show with their own work (collective, school, group, gallery, craft, etc.), and create work of the highest quality, reflecting a truly unique, “One of a Kind” artistic vision.

Award specific criteria:

OCC award – open to Eastern Canadian residents practicing in any media (provinces east of, and including Ontario)

CABC award – open to Western Canadian residents practicing any media (provinces west of, and including Manitoba, and the territories)

Gardiner Museum award – open to ceramic artists residing anywhere in Canada or the United States.

Harbourfront Centre award – open glass artists residing anywhere in Canada.

Textile Museum award – open to textile artists residing anywhere in Canada or the United States.

Application Deadline: 5:00 pm, November 30th, 2008 (local time). Award winners will be announced January 1, 2009.

How to apply?

OCC and CABC awards


Download the pdf with the application guidelines.

Questions?

OCC – All media, Eastern Canada
Emma Quin, General Manager
Ontario Crafts Council
990 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M6J 1H1
Phone: 416-925-4222
Email: equin@craft.on.ca

CABC – All media, Western Canada
Yvonne Chui, Executive Director
Craft Association of British Columbia
1386 Cartwright Street, Granville Island,
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V6H 3R8
Phone: (604) 687-6511
Toll free: 1-888-687-6511
Email: yvonnec@cabc.net

Gardiner Museum

- submit a CD or a DVD containing 5 high-res (300 dpi) JPEG images, a one page artist statement and a one page CV to the address listed below.

Questions?

Sue Jeffries, Curator
Gardiner Museum of Ceramics
111 Queen's Park
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 2C7
Phone: 416-408-5060
Email: suej@gardinermuseum.ca

Textile Museum

www.textilemuseum.ca for more details on the application process.

To apply, please send:
  • 1-page Curriculum Vitae
  • Documents must be in .pdf or .doc format only
  • Brief Artist Statement (150 word maximum)
  • No more than 5 images of recent works
  • Images must be in full-colour, 300dpi, .jpg format
  • Images larger than 1,600 pixels in any direction will not be accepted
  • Do not compress files (Zip, stuffit, etc.)

to awardforexcellence@textilemuseum.ca by November 30th, 2008.

Applications missing any of the listed attachments, arriving with broken or corrupted files or with attachments that do not meet the above specifications will not be considered.  Materials emailed will not be returned. Please do not contact us. Entrants will be notified of the results by email by December 15th, 2008. Late applications will not be accepted.

Questions?

Nataley Nagy, Executive Director
Textile Museum of Canada
55 Centre Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2H5
Phone: 416-599-5321 x 2236
Email: nnagy@textilemuseum.ca

Harbourfront Centre award

- submit a CD containing 5 images, a one page artist statement, and a one page CV to the address listed below. Please note the additional image criteria for the Harbourfront Submission.

Specific notes re: CD Submissions for Harbourfront Centre Award

DO
  • Submit PC compatible, jpeg files only
  • Submit files at a resolution of 72dpi only, and a maximum of 1024 x 768 pixels
  • Submit files of 500 KB (0.05 MB) maximum
  • Save images directly to the CD-ROM without creating folders
  • Submit RGB, sRGB or grayscale colour mode files only (no CMYK)
  • Label each file (image) with a number and title to correspond to your typewritten list
DON’Ts
  • Don’t submit Mac files that are not fully PC compatible
  • Don’t submit compressed files (WinZip®, Stuffit®, etc.), or hyperlinks to Internet sites
  • Don’t submit material that requires software, plug-ins, extensions, etc. that need to be downloaded or installed
  • Don’t submit DVDs
Questions?

Melanie Egan, Head of Craft
Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, Ontario
M5J 2G8
Phone: 416-973-4963
Email: rmegan@harbourfrontcentre.com

Questions?

If you have questions about the awards, you can contact Heather Read at the One of a Kind Show, (heather@oneofakindshow.com, or 416-960-4511), or you can contact the administering institutions directly.