ARISTA Cultural Entrepreneur Award

Who is eligible for this award?

Young arts and culture entrepreneurs in Quebec.

What are the program objectives?

The ARISTA Provincial Competition is organized annually by the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montréal. The event has been rewarding the talents of Quebec’s next generation of business leaders for over 40 years.

What is the value of the award?

The winning entrepreneur will be awarded the JCCM’s ARISTA Provincial Competition Award, including a grant from the Conseil des arts de Montréal and training with mentorship from the City of Montréal.

What do the partners provide?

The Conseil des arts de Montréal is proud to support the Jeune entrepreneur·e du Québec: arts et culture category by awarding a grant to help promote Quebec’s talented and innovative next generation.

The Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montréal is in charge of organizing the ARISTA competition.

What are the eligibility criteria?

• The candidate must be a Canadian citizen or have permanent residency and/or hold a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) on the reference date, and have his or her principal place of residence in Quebec.
• The candidate must be at least eighteen (18) years of age, but no older than forty (40) on the reference date.
• The nominee must have founded or must manage a business or organization, hold a voting interest or exercise de facto control in it, and must also exercise significant influence over the organization’s operations and strategic orientations. The organization must be active in the cultural milieu and have a professional artistic mission: visual arts, film, video, digital arts, performing arts (theater, dance, circus arts), multidisciplinary arts, aboriginal arts, architecture, music and literature. The candidate’s organization must have been in operation for at least one (1) year as of the reference date.

Who is ineligible?

• A person who has been named a winner of the ARISTA Provincial Competition may not reapply in the same category.
• A person who has already been a finalist in the competition may not resubmit in the same category.
• A person may not apply in more than one category.

How do I apply?

Any person who meets the eligibility requirements can apply by returning to the JCCM the application form available on the Competition website here, in the form and manner prescribed by the JCCM.

The duly completed application form and required documents must be received by the JCCM no later than the last day of the application period, which is publicly disclosed by the JCCM. The application deadline may be extended by the JCCM at its sole discretion.

Any person may nominate a potential applicant by completing and sending to the JCCM the “Reference Form,” in the form and manner prescribed by the JCCM, no later than fifteen business days before the application deadline.

How are applicants evaluated?

The JCCM forms a pre-selection and a final selection committee, each comprising five people. They evaluate applications according to the criteria below.

What are the evaluation criteria?

Applications are evaluated based on the information the applicant provides in the questionnaire and on the required documents using the following criteria:

• leadership
• achievements
• vision and perseverance
• innovation
• level of involvement

How are the Award and Grant awarded?

At an awards gala organized by the JCCM, bringing together a large number of its members that are involved or interested in developing the next generation of business leaders in the cultural community, as well as business partners, representatives of the Conseil.

The JCCM decides on the date of the awards gala.

The $2,500 grant will be paid to the winner following the Conseil’s Board meeting, which may be held after the Arista gala.