Eligibility and Nominations

Candidates for the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case must be Canadian citizens. Any individual or group is welcome to nominate a deserving individual as candidate for a Persons Case Award. The awards honour outstanding individuals who have helped to advance equality for girls and women in Canada, demonstrated by leadership and excellence in any field, in either a paid or unpaid capacity. There are no posthumous awards.

Five awards plus one Youth award are given annually to candidates chosen from across Canada. Candidates must be over 30 years of age; Youth award nominees must be between 15 and 30 years of age.

Note: Individuals may not nominate themselves for a Persons Case Award.

Nomination forms are available from Status of Women Canada, 123 Slater Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 1H9.

The nomination form is also available in Adobe Acrobat® format. Acrobat Reader®, available at: http://www.adobe.com, is required to view the document.

Full version (brochure and form)
Basic version (in HTML format)

Please ensure that all of the information listed on the nomination form is provided, including an outline of the candidate's achievements with respect to advancing equality for girls and women in Canadian society.

Nominations must include letters of support stating specific reasons for the candidate's nomination. The candidate's résumé or curriculum vitae covering career, volunteer work, awards and other notable achievements should also be included.

Status of Women Canada will not accept bound materials (e.g., stapled, Cerlox or spiral-bound) and is not responsible for the loss or damage, whatever the cause, of support material. Any documents sent to Status of Women Canada will not be returned.

Status of Women Canada keeps all nominations confidential. We ask that nominators and others involved respect this policy.

The nomination process for the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case is ongoing and has no deadline. It takes approximately one year to 18 months for a nomination to be presented to the Jury, which is an independent body reflective of the diversity of Canadian society. The Jury reviews all nominations and makes recommendations to Status of Women Canada.