Canada Council: John Hirsch Prizes

Deadline: June 19, 2026

Program Summary:

The John Hirsch Prize was created in 1995 to recognize the artistic merit and potential of emerging theatre directors.

John Hirsch was a distinguished director who made an extraordinary contribution to theatre in Canada. He was the founder of the Manitoba Theatre Centre, head of CBC television drama and artistic director of the Stratford Festival. Upon his death in 1989, Mr. Hirsch left a bequest to the Canada Council for the Arts to encourage directors from Canada.

Grant Amount:

Prize amounts:

2 prizes of $6,000 each:

• 1 prize for the English-language community
• 1 prize for the French-language community

Eligible Applicants:

To be eligible, you must:

• be at least 18 years old
• be one of the following:
  • a Canadian citizen living in Canada or abroad
  • a First Nations, Inuit or Métis person from the land now known as Canada
  • a permanent resident of Canada, as defined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or
  • a Protected Person of Canada, as defined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• have no more than 10 years of experience as a theatre director working in any language. The 10-year period is calculated from the application deadline date.
• have developed your arts skills through formal or informal learning
• have been compensated in a manner that is appropriate for your artistic practice and region, and accomplished one of the following:
  • maintained an artistic practice for at least 1 year and completed at least 2 artistic activities that were made available to the public, or
  • worked in an arts role for at least 12 months (not necessarily consecutive)
  • Note: You can count activities that took place in another country. Do not count activities that were carried out to satisfy course requirements in an academic or arts training program.
• be committed to building a career in the arts
• be recognized by other artists and arts workers in your artistic practice or in your local community.

This prize is intended to honour the achievement of individual emerging theatre directors rather than the work of a collective, group, or organization. Your application must demonstrate your history of theatre direction.