The Audain Prize for the Visual Arts is one of Canada’s most prestigious honours. This annual prize worth $100,000 is awarded to a senior artist in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the arts. Recipients of the Audain Prize are highly acclaimed Canadian cultural icons. The Audain Prize is presented by the Audain Art Museum.

The Carter Wosk Award in Applied Art + Design celebrates British Columbians who, through their creativity, contribute to the cultural economy of the province. Each year, up to three recipients are chosen and each are awarded $2500.

The awards honour excellence in art with a practical or functional application and are named in honour of philanthropist Dr. Yosef Wosk and Emily Carr University of Art + Design professor emeritus Sam Carter. This award is presented by the BC Achievement Foundation, and independent organization established in 2003.

Individuals who work in fields such as, but not limited to, jewelry, glass, wood, fibre, clay, metal, textiles, fashion, shoemaking, weaving, and industrial design are eligible.

The Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes annually awards two prizes valued at $50,000 to two individuals – one in the arts and the other in the social sciences and humanities, who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding achievements. The prizes are intended to encourage ongoing contributions to Canada's cultural and intellectual heritage.

These prizes are administered by the Canada Council in collaboration with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The winners are chosen by a peer assessment committee, which is appointed jointly by the Canada Council and the SSHRC.

The Fulmer Award in First Nations Art (FNA Award) recognizes artistic excellence in traditional, contemporary, or media art. The annual award is designed for artists from BC First Nations who have demonstrated a commitment to their art practice, have accumulated a body of work, and who are recognized in their communities as artists. Individuals who work in fields such as, but not limited to, traditional or contemporary visual art in fields such as, but not limited to, carving, photography, beading, weaving, jewelry, painting, masks, sculpture, stonework, printmaking, basketry, textiles, and media art.

Artists have the option to self-identify in one of two submission categories:

Emerging: Artists have developed basic techniques through education and/or apprenticeship; and are in the early stages of launching a professional career. They have created and publicly presented a body of independent work and are ready for the next step in their artistic development.

Established: Artists have demonstrated advanced techniques; shown a commitment to their art practice; and are recognized in their community as artists. They have publicly presented a significant body of independent work and serve as mentors in their respective artistic community.

The Governor General’s Awards in Arts are presented yearly by the governor general. Administration and selection of the recipients are under the responsibility of independent organizations such as the Canada Council for the Arts and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Please visit their respective websites in order to review eligibility criteria, the nomination processes, and list of previous recipients.

This prize is named for Portia White, a Nova Scotian who rose through adversity to achieve international acclaim as a classical singer on the stages of Europe and North America. Although Portia White began her career teaching in Africville, she eventually turned her energy to developing her enormous musical talent. Portia White became a world-renowned contralto through much hard work and dedication and the financial support of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, a charitable organization created in 1944 by the Halifax Ladies Music Club, the music community and the Province. Upon retiring from the stage, Ms. White devoted her time to teaching and coaching young singers. Her achievements continue to instill a sense of pride in the African Nova Scotian community and stand as a model to all Nova Scotians.

The Salt Spring National Art Prize is a biennial competition and exhibition of Canadian visual art. The next event is in 2021, with the call for artist submissions open from January 1, to May 31, 2021. The intent of SSNAP is to encourage artists whose practice demonstrates originality, quality, integrity and creativity—resulting in significant work with visual impact and depth of meaning. Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada who are eighteen years of age and older as of January 1, 2020, are invited to submit their two-dimensional and three-dimensional work for consideration.

The Sobey Art Award, Canada’s pre-eminent award for contemporary Canadian art, was created in 2002 by the Sobey Art Foundation. It is an annual prize given to an artist age 40 or under who has exhibited in a public or commercial art gallery within 18 months of being nominated. In addition to the $100,000 prize awarded to the winner of the Sobey Art Award, each of the four short listed artists are awarded $25,000 and $2,000 is awarded to each of the remaining twenty long-listed artists. Since its inception, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has organized and administered the Sobey Art Award and its accompanying exhibition. In 2016, the Sobey Art Foundation entered into a partnership with the National Gallery of Canada, which organizes and circulates the exhibition.

The Kingston Prize is a Canada-wide competition and exhibition tour for Canadian portrait painting and drawing. The competition is open to any Canadian artist who depicts a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant in a portrait based on a real life encounter. The aim of The Kingston Prize is to encourage and reward the creation of contemporary portraits by Canadian artists, to promote Canadian artists through competition, and over time to develop an historical record of Canadians, by Canadians. Each exhibition becomes a fascinating snapshot of a cross-section of Canadian life. A distinguished panel of judges determines the 30 finalists, whose work then becomes part of the national touring exhibition. The exhibition gives much needed public exposure to talented Canadian artists, while at the same time sparking interest, conversation and inspiration in the visitors attending the exhibitions.

The Joe Plaskett Foundation was established in 2004 by the artist Joseph Plaskett (1918-2014) to facilitate the selection of a recipient for the Plaskett Award. This award provides $30,000 to help fund an emerging Canadian painter who will live, create artwork or travel in Europe for a required minimum of six months. From 2008-2018 the foundation partnered with the Royal Canadian Academy (RCA) to help administer the prize and in 2015, the Nancy Petry Foundation partnered with the Joe Plaskett Foundation to administer the Petry Award, a $10,000 second prize. The prize money is to be used to live and travel abroad for two months, creating artwork and fostering inspiration.

The Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Awards have previously awarded Seven prizes of $15,000 each for outstanding artistic achievement by Canadian artists in seven disciplines: Dance, Inter-Arts, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Writing and Publishing. This prize is currently suspended, as the Canada Council reviews its suite of prizes in order to best serve artists and artistic communities.

Funded by the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts, the VIVA Awards are created to nurture the advancement of the visual arts in British Columbia and their appreciation by the public. Providing $12,000 annually since 1988, these awards celebrate exemplary achievement by British Columba artists in mid-career, chosen for outstanding accomplishment and commitment by an independent jury.