2024 Graduation Awards

About Graduation Awards

Welcome class of 2024! This page is for you to learn about the 2024 Graduation Awards. Here you will find information about what awards are available, which awards you qualify for, award criteria, and how to apply.

Graduation awards celebrate excellence in the works of graduating students. These awards are available to students based on works presented in Virtual Exhibition, as well as GPA or a combination of other criteria.

Applications are now open.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact advancement@ecuad.ca.

How the Award Process Works

Graduation Award recipients will be selected based on their works in the Virtual Exhibition, their GPA, or a combination of the two. Juries will meet in May to select the award recipients. Juries are comprised of artists, designers, media artists, and industry professionals, with at least 50% identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour.

Please refer to the sidebar menu for information about:

Following the adjudication process, students will be notified if they are selected to receive an award or an honourable mention. As a demonstration of gratitude towards donors, students are required to write a thank you letter to the award funder and to have their names published on the Emily Carr University website and in reports to donors.

2024 Media Arts Graduation Awards List

Basically Good Media Lab Student Research Award | $500
Awarded to a graduating NMSA major who is participating in The Show (undergraduate).

Sophie Burnett Memorial Award | TBD
Awarded to the undergraduate student with the highest GPA graduating from the Bachelor of Media Arts program.

ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism and Social Justice – Media: $500
Awarded to a media student whose work in The Show explores or responds to anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, or anti-Asian discrimination and racism.

John C. Kerr Chancellor Emeritus Award for Excellence in Media Arts | $2,000
Awarded for academic excellence combined with work in The Show (undergraduate).

The President’s Media Awards for Excellence | $500 x 5 awards

The President Media Awards for Excellence celebrate a graduating student who has studied Film + Screen Arts, New Media + Sound Art, 2D + Experimental Animation or 3D Computer Animation as a major, and whose work demonstrates excellent conception, production and execution of their final graduation exhibition film/media production. The PMAs include the following categories:

  • Best in Film | $500
  • Best in 3D Computer Animation | $500
  • Best in 2D or Experimental Animation | $500
  • Best in Media Installation | $500
  • Best in Media Sound | $500

Saralee James Memorial Award | TBD
Awarded to a mature female student or students in Photography, Animation, Film/Video and Integrated Media or Interactive Social Media. The student(s) will be recognized as a political or social activist, a feminist, and who pushes boundaries in her work. This award does not require an application. The recipient will be selected by the Saralee James Committee and notified.

VIVO Award for Distribution | Non-Monetary Award
Awarded to FMSA students during the FMSA nomination jury.

2024 DESIGN + VISUAL ARTS GRADUATION AWARDS

Students exhibiting works on The Show Graduation Exhibition website will be eligible to receive awards in an unbiased manner by calling upon diverse juries of professionals and practitioners, such as artists, designers, filmmakers, animators, and curators. In coordination with the Advancement office, juries will review students’ works on The Show 2023 website as well as any additional materials, selecting works that best represent the criteria established for each award.

Timeline

April 10 - Website live; students may begin applying for awards

April 29 - The application deadline is midnight for Design + Visual Art Applications.

May 2 - PMA jury meets to determine award recipients.

May 7 + 8 - Design and Visual Arts juries will meet these days to determine award recipients.

Note: There are some awards that do not require applications. You will automatically be considered should you qualify.

Please contact advancement@ecuad.ca if you have any questions about graduation awards or if you need help in completing your application. We are here to help.

How to Apply

Wondering which awards you may be eligible to receive? Use our Award Finder to get an overview of what's available. Having problems? We have prepared an instructional video that walks you through the application process.

Then, go to our Application Form to apply!

Thank you to our donors who create opportunities for students by creating and funding graduation awards!