Three awards are given each year to recognize artists and arts advocates within our region who stand out in terms of artistry or volunteerism in the arts. Often people serve in both roles. Nominations are due on the last day of February each year.
Please consider nominating someone who you view as a deserving candidate from our seven-county service area in northwestern Minnesota. Questions? Contact our office at (218) 745-8886, ext 1 or email director@NWArtsCouncil.org for more information. The nomination form is in our grants software or in the button above. Login to start the nomination process. Curious who has received these awards in the past? Find out here.
Awards are presented at the Northwest Minnesota Arts Exhibit reception. Funding for Northwest Star and Northwest Artist of the Year comes from The McKnight Foundation. Funding for Northwest Arts Advocate of the Year comes from the Minnesota State Legislature.
An ELIGIBLE NOMINATION must include one completed nomination form, narrative on merit, letters supporting the nomination, a copy of the nominee’s resume or detailed qualifications, five work samples if artist, and be received by the last day of February. Only residents of the Minnesota counties Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau are eligible for these $500 awards. We also give a large Northwest Star Artist award. The first step is to nominate the person for Northwest Artist. One person will be selected to receive a $5,000 cash award from the pool of candidates and receive our Northwest Star recognition. This person must be beyond an emerging or student status to be considered. This truly is a once in a lifetime award. Additional criteria apply so please contact our office for more information if you feel your nominee will be considered 218-745-8886, ext 1.
RESTRICTIONS: Each award can be received only once in a lifetime. Nominations will not be carried over from year to year. Previous nominees must be re-nominated each year. It is the policy of NWMAC that nominees will not be notified of their nomination unless they are chosen to receive an Award.
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Nominate for Of the Year Awards in our grants software.
Login to start the nomination (this is the Grant Login button on the top right of every page or click the Nominate button above). Click Apply and then select Northwest Minnesota Art Exhibit and Of the Year Nominations. Then, select Of the Year Award. This will take you to the nomination form. If you need assistance logging in or finding the form, please reach out to our director. She can answer any questions you have or assist you in this process.
To learn more about the information that you will need to complete your nomination, download this document.
You will need to provide work samples (up to 5 examples), letters of support (up to 3 letters), and or additional background information on the person. You can upload these into the nomination form in our grants system. Or you can email or send all materials to Mara Hanel, NW MN Arts Council, 109 S. Minnesota St., Warren, MN 56762 by the last day of February. director@NWArtsCouncil.org.
