The Essor Recognition Awards pay tribute to the dedicated work of teachers and other people in the education system who carry out innovative art projects based on the idea of culture. These projects foster commitment, student perseverance and educational success.

By recognizing projects that are simultaneously educational, artistic and cultural, the Ministère de l’Éducation, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and their partners seek to promote:

  • the importance of quality training in the arts
  • instruction enhanced by a cultural approach
  • the excellent work done by schools in partnership with artists, writers and cultural organizations in the various regions of Québec.

Awards

Provincial Grand Prize
This prize is awarded to a project that satisfies, to an exceptional degree, the entire set of criteria associated with the Essor Recognition Awards.
 
A school that has won the Provincial Grand Prize is not eligible to receive this prize for the subsequent three years.
Partnership Prize
This prize is awarded to a project distinguished by a dynamic partnership between the school, cultural circles and other partners (associations, municipalities, organizations, businesses, etc.).
Culture Prize
This prize is awarded to a project that stands out for the quality of its artistic and cultural approach, and the relevance of the methods used to raise students’ cultural awareness.
Pedagogical Development Prize
This prize is awarded to a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary project that demonstrates outstanding achievement in the way it makes pedagogical and cultural content in the Québec Education Program thoroughly accessible to students.
Isabelle-Aubin Prize
This prize is awarded to an imaginative and high-quality project that demonstrates outstanding commitment on the part of educators, partners and young people.
Innovation Prize
This prize is awarded to a project that stands out for its innovative approach and the importance placed on the student’s choices and initiatives.
Exposure Prize 
This prize is awarded to a project that promotes the arts and culture, and in doing so, reaches a wide audience in both the school and the community.
Sustainable Development Prize 
This prize is awarded to a project that demonstrates outstanding achievement in activities that encourage student involvement in matters relating to environmental protection, social equity and economic efficiency.
 
To learn more, consult the web page on sustainable development in the school system This hyperlink will open in a new window., available in French.
Cultural Mediator Prize
This prize is awarded to an outstanding project mentored by educators whose commitment to incorporating the cultural dimension is fully apparent at every stage of the process.
Horizon Prize
This prize is awarded to an outstanding project that encourages students to cultivate an open-minded attitude to social and cultural pluralism.
Cultural Citizenship Prize
This prix is awarded to an outstanding project that calls on students to develop a sense of cultural citizenship and to enrich the cultural life of their community.

Schools Host an Artist or Writer Prize 
This prize is awarded to a project undertaken as part of the Schools Host an Artist or Writer component of the Culture in the Schools program This hyperlink will open in a new window. that demonstrates outstanding achievement with regard to the experimental work of the students, the creative process of the artist and the impacts of the project.
Projects falling under the Schools Host an Artist or Writer component are only eligible for this prize.
Initiative Prize
This prize is awarded for the initiatives and vitality of the educational and cultural environments in the various regions of Québec.

Partners

The Essor Recognition Awards are made possible by contributions from Télé-Québec and l’Association québécoise des comités culturels scolaires (AQCCS).

Eligibility

The following groups and organizations may submit a project:

  • a team representing an elementary or secondary school in the public or private sector, or a group of such schools
  • a team representing one or more adult education centres
  • a school service centre / school board or a group of school service centres / school boards that has developed an arts or cultural project in collaboration with a school cultural committee

The project must meet the following requirements:

  • It must be structured around at least one of the four Arts Education subjects (Drama, Visual Arts, Dance, Music).
  • Its activities must be carried out in collaboration with the Arts Education teacher and comply with the approach used in teaching the Arts Education subjects in question.
  • It must be carried out during the current school year, mainly during school hours or as an extension of the Arts Education courses.
  • It must be consistent with the educational orientations and values of the Québec Education Program.
  • It must comply with the provisions of the Copyright Act with respect to the works used in the project.

Moreover, a school that has already won an Essor Recognition Award must submit a different project to once again be considered eligible for a prize.

Please note that projects funded as part of the Schools Host an Artist or Writer component of the Culture in the Schools program are eligible only for the Schools Host an Artist or Writer prize.

Process

Preparation of documents 

The application package must contain:

  1. the duly-completed project submission form (PDF 714 Kb) (in French only)
  2. at least one of the following types of digital files for presenting the project:
    • one video or audio recording with a maximum length of 5 minutes and a file size no larger than 40MB, or a hyperlink included in the supporting documentation and connecting to a digital recording lasting no longer than 5 minutes
    • a maximum of 4 photographs no larger than 2MB each

The combined file size of the attachments cannot exceed 100MB and must adequately represent the specifics of the subject(s) targeted by the project (for example, a music project should contain a video or audio file).

When supporting documents contain captured images (video clips, photographs, etc.) or an audio clip that makes it possible to identify a student, the project coordinator must ensure that one of the holders of parental authority has been informed and has given consent. 

Supporting Documents

Candidates may submit up to 4 pages of supporting documents, but are not obliged to do so. This information helps the Selection Committee to look at both the process and the quality of the resulting product—that is, if the project was already completed when submitted. The supporting documents could include, for example:

  • documents that show the various steps in the development of the project
  • documents showing the students at work (tape of a rehearsal, final product, etc.)
  • scanned newspaper articles
  • scanned promotional tools
  • any other documents that might be helpful in evaluating the project

Transmission of the Application Package 

To submit a project, follow these steps:

  • Open the application form (PDF 714 Kb) (in French only).
  • Save the form on a work station or on a digital support.
  • Complete the form, making sure that the final page bears the required signatures.
  • Scan the duly signed last page of the form.
  • Prepare the digital files (photographs, video, audio).
  • Prepare the supporting documents, if applicable.

The transmission tool This hyperlink will open in a new window. can be used only once for each application package. Your application must therefore be complete when you send it.

Winners