Submit a nomination for Canada’s Volunteer Awards

Application period

The call for nominations is now open.

You can submit nominations from April 22 to June 17, 2026.

Nomination information session

English language session on May 20, 2026 at 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm (Eastern Daylight Time)
French language session on May 21, 2026 at 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm (Eastern Daylight Time)

If you are interested in participating, please specify which session you wish to attend in an email to: info-cva-pbc-gd@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.

We will provide you with the information on how to participate via Microsoft Teams

Description of the awards

National award

1 national award in the following category:

The Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award

Recognizes individuals with 20 years or more of volunteer service whose long-term commitment has:

Inspired and mobilized other volunteers, demonstrating sustained leadership within their communities. 
Made a meaningful and lasting difference through their volunteer efforts, contributing to stronger, more resilient communities.

Regional awards

20 regional awards in the following categories:

Community Leader

Recognizes individuals or groups of volunteers who take a leading role in addressing social issues by: 

Volunteering their time to support an organization, cause, or community need. 
Mobilizing people and resources to strengthen community bonds and advance solutions to social challenges.

Emerging Leader

Recognizes Canadians aged 18–30 who demonstrate leadership through volunteerism and help strengthen their communities by: 

Contributing time, skills, and vision to create meaningful community impact. 
Demonstrating creativity, initiative, and positive change.

Business Leader

Recognizes businesses and social enterprises that demonstrate corporate social responsibility and strengthen communities through volunteer support by: 

Promoting and supporting volunteering at local, regional, and/or national levels. 
Encouraging employee participation in volunteer initiatives. 
Creating positive social, cultural, or environmental impacts through responsible business practices.

Social Innovator

Recognizes non-profit organizations and registered charities that address social challenges through innovative approaches by:

Using new models, technologies, or partnerships to serve and strengthen communities. 
Introducing creative, effective methods that enhance their ability to meet community needs and drive positive impact.

Regions

One recipient is awarded in each of the 5 regions:

Atlantic (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick)
Quebec
Ontario
Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta)
British Columbia and the North (Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon)

Recognition of award recipients

Canada’s Volunteer Awards recognizes recipients at a national ceremony. Recipients also take part in a session to share best practices in volunteering.

All award recipients receive a certificate.

Recipients also choose a registered non-profit organization in Canada to receive a grant:

$10,000 for the national award
$5,000 for the regional awards

Eligibility

Nominees can be:

individuals or groups
businesses
non-profit organizations
charities

Only 1 nomination will be accepted per nominee.

Political and public advocacy work is not eligible.

Individuals or groups

Must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Must be 18 years of age and over at the time of the submission of the nomination
Must have contributed to addressing social challenges in their community
For the emerging Leader category, must be between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of the submission of the nomination

Businesses, non-profit organizations or charities

Must be registered as a business, non-profit organization or charity in Canada. (Non-profit organizations are incorporated under either federal or provincial non-profit legislation. Registered charities are charitable organizations, public foundations, or private foundations that are created and resident in Canada. They must use their resources for charitable activities and have charitable purposes that benefit communities)
Must have contributed to addressing social challenges in a community in Canada

Consent

The nominator and the nominee must consent to give permission to the Canada’s Volunteer Award program to collect, share and disclose all information related to the nomination with:

Regional Reviewers
National Advisory Committee members
Minister of Jobs and Families

Letters of support

You will need to submit at least 1 letter of support and no more than 3 with your nomination.

All letters must:

be written by someone who has direct knowledge of the nominee’s contributions (letters written by the nominator or nominee will not be accepted)
highlight the contributions of the nominee
explain how the author knows the nominee (how did they learn about the nominee’s volunteering, and how long have they known them?)
contain the name and address of the author
be addressed to Canada’s Volunteer Awards
not exceed 2 pages (about 1,000 words)
be dated and been written within the last 6 months

Letter of support template

(The use of this template is optional)

Date (must be dated and written within the past 6 months).

Dear Canada’s Volunteer Awards,

This is your opportunity to explain why you support the nomination.

Please include your nominee’s name in the letter. The letter must not exceed 2 pages (1000 words).

Explain how you know the nominee (how did you learn about the nominee’s volunteering? How long have you known the nominee?)

Provide examples of how the nominee’s contributions have made a difference. (You must have direct knowledge of their contributions.) You could describe:

the role they played in solving a local issue
the impact of their volunteer efforts
how they inspire others
highlight any challenges they overcame

Sincerely,

Your Signature

Your name

Your relationship to the nominee (for example, supervisor, colleague, beneficiary of contribution).

Your contact information (complete address, email address and/or telephone number).

Steps to apply

Before you apply

Before submitting your nomination make sure you gather all required documents and information:

choose the correct award category
ensure your nominee is eligible
read the assessment criteria
get the nominee’s consent
get letters of support

Apply online Open

Once you have gathered all required documents, you can start your application

Start application Open

Other ways to apply

You can request an alternate format by contacting us.

Make sure you complete the declarations of consent

Read all the declarations of consent during the nomination process
Provide your own consent, and get the consent of the nominee
Once the nomination is submitted, the nominees will receive an email to consent online

Explain how the nominee meets each of the 6 criteria

Be sure to answer every question for each of the 6 criteria in your nomination
For each answer, do not exceed the word limit

Include the letters of support

Submit up to 3 letters of support. Additional letters will not be retained

How we assess your application

Nominations go through a 3-step review process:

administrative review to ensure eligibility
the Regional Reviewers assess nominations and develop a list of top-ranked nominations
the National Advisory Committee evaluates top-ranked nominations and recommends award recipients to the Minister of Jobs and Families

Assessment criteria

In steps 2 and 3 of the assessment process, nominations are assessed according to 6 criteria which applies to all categories.

Role

Describe the nominee’s contributions, including the actions they have taken, the leadership they have shown, and the context in which they have volunteered or led. Consider the scope of their involvement and the significance of their role in advancing volunteerism.

Impact

Explain how the nominee addressed a challenge or need, the difference they made, and how their efforts are sustained over time. Highlight outcomes as well as lasting change.

Reach

Identify who benefitted from the nominee’s efforts, how many people were reached, and what was gained. Note whether their impact extended beyond their immediate community to regional, national, or broader audiences

Engagement

Describe how the nominee involved others in their work — inspiring volunteers, building partnerships, mobilizing resources, or engaging organizations. Show how their efforts foster collaboration and collective action.

Challenges

Outline the obstacles the nominee faced and how they overcame them. Emphasize resilience, creativity, and determination in addressing barriers to success.

Inspiration

Illustrate how the nominee serves as a role model — for individuals, organizations, or communities. Describe how they share knowledge, mentor others, and inspire broader participation in volunteerism.

Contact us

Contact Canada’s Volunteer Awards

Glossary

Business

A for-profit enterprise incorporated under federal or provincial law.

Canadian citizen

A person described as a citizen under the Citizenship Act. This means a person who:

is Canadian by birth (either born in Canada or born outside Canada to a Canadian citizen who themselves either born in Canada or granted citizenship), or
has applied for a grant of citizenship and has received Canadian citizenship (naturalization)

Corporate social responsibility

The voluntary activities undertaken by a company to operate in an economic, social and environmentally sustainable manner.

Nominator

A person who is nominating an individual, business, non-profit organization or charity for Canada's Volunteer Awards.

Nominee

A person or a group of persons, non-profit organization, charity or business that is being nominated for a Canada's Volunteer Award to acknowledge their significant community contributions.

Non-profit organization

Associations, clubs, or societies that are not charities and are organized and operated exclusively for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure, recreation, or any other purpose except profit.

Permanent resident

Someone who has acquired permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada but is not yet a Canadian citizen.

Registered charity

Charitable organizations, public foundations, or private foundations resident in Canada, using resources for charitable activities.

Social innovation

A response to a social/environmental problem that results in better solutions than existing approaches. Examples: new social programs, new technologies, growth of social enterprises.

Sustainability

The ability to deliver lasting benefits for communities, consistent with Canada’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It reflects the capacity to meet present needs — social, environmental, and economic — while ensuring future generations can continue to thrive.

Volunteerism

Purposeful helping activities without monetary compensation, either formal (through organizations) or informal (direct help).

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2026-04-22