Governor General's Awards - Governor General's Performing Arts Awards

Governor General's Performing Arts Awards

The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are the foremost honours presented for excellence in the performing arts, in the categories of dance, classical music, popular music, film, and broadcasting. They were initiated in 1992 by then Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn and the first recipient was Gweneth Lloyd, co-founder of Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Initially, the award came with a $15,000 bursary - today's winners receive $25,000 and a medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint. In addition, two complementary awards are given: The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts, recognizing the voluntary services to the performing arts by an individual or group, and the National Arts Centre Award, which recognizes an individual artist's or company's work during the past performance year. There is also a mentorship program that connects award recipients with artists in their early to mid-career. Since 2008, the National Film Board of Canada has produced short films about each of the laureates, which are screened at the awards ceremony and streamed online.

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