Welcome to the Honours and Awards Page 
 

In 2010, the Society presented its Museum Award of Excellence to the Lake of the Woods Museum, Kenora.  Pictured above (from left): Pam Cain, then Chair, OHS Museums Committee; Lori Nelson, Director, Lake of the Woods Museum; and Dr. Sharon Jaeger, then Chair, OHS Honours and Awards Committee.

In 1967, The Ontario Historical Society established an Awards program to honour individuals and organizations who have contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of Ontario's heritage. Over the years, new awards have been instituted; thirteen are now offered. The Awards program is intended both to acknowledge the work of outstanding individuals and organizations, and to raise public awareness of Ontario's history and the people who work to preserve and interpret it.

All recipients of awards receive recognition in subsequent publicity, and a framed certificate accompanied by a copy of the citation acknowledging their contribution to the heritage community.

All interested organizations or individuals are invited to participate in the Awards program by submitting a nomination. Self nominations are acceptable, with some restrictions in the case of the Dorothy Duncan Award.

Nominees may be volunteers, professionals, non-profit organizations, businesses or corporations as indicated in the award criteria. Books are only eligible for one book award category. All nominations are assessed by The Ontario Historical Society's Honours and Awards Committee.

Read a brief history of the OHS's Honours and Awards Programme and learn about the names behind the awards.

New Award: Huguenot Society of Canada Award

In 2009, the OHS established a new award with the support of the Huguenot Society of Canada. 

Huguenot Society of Canada Award
Honouring the best book or substantial article published in Ontario in the past three years which has brought public awareness to the principles of freedom of conscience and freedom of thought. 

Congratulations to L. D. Cross, author of The Underground Railroad: The Long Journey to Freedom in Canada (James Lorimer & Co.), first receipient of the Huguenot Society of Canada Award!

2010-2011 OHS Honours and Awards Recipients

In 1967, the OHS established an Awards Programme to honour individuals, organizations, corporations and authors who have contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of Ontario's heritage.

Dr. Sharon Jaeger, Chair of the Honours and Awards Committee of The Ontario Historical Society, is pleased to announce the recipients for 2010:

The Scadding Award of Excellence, awarded to a historical society or heritage group that has made an outstanding contribution to the field of history, is awarded to the Ontario Jewish Archives (Toronto) for their exhibit Ontario's Small Jewish Communities.

The Museum Award of Excellence in Community Programming, awarded to a non-profit public museum in Ontario showing excellence in community involvement and programming, is awarded to the Lake of the Woods Museum (Kenora).

The Russell K. Cooper Living History Site or Heritage-Based Museum Award, awarded to a living history museum, or a museum that delivers heritage-based programming, showing excellence in programming, ingenious problem solving, or site development, is awarded to the Wellington County Museum and Archives (Fergus).

The President's Award, honouring a corporation, business, or executive that has contributed to heritage conservation in the recent past, is awarded to Ontario Power Generation.

The Cruikshank Medal, presented on rare occasions to individuals who have performed with distinction on behalf of The Ontario Historical Society, is awarded to Dr. John C. Carter.

The Riddell Award, honouring the best article on Ontario's history published during the Award year, is awarded to James W. Paxton for "Merrymaking and Militia Musters: Mohawks, Loyalists, and the (Re)Construction of Community and Identity in Upper Canada", Ontario History Vol. CII, No. 2 (Autumn 2010), The Ontario Historical Society.

The Fred Landon Award, honouring the best book on regional history in Ontario published within the past three years, is awarded to:

Heather Robertson for Walking into Wilderness: The Toronto Carrying Place
and Nine Mile Portage, Heartland Associates.

and

John S. Long for Treaty No. 9: Making the Agreement to Share the Land
in Far Northern Ontario in 1905, McGill-Queen's University Press.

The Donald Grant Creighton Award, honouring the best book of biography or autobiography highlighting life in Ontario, past or present, published within the past three years, is awarded to Dave Mullington for Charlotte: The Last Suffragette, General Store Publishing House.

The Huguenot Society of Canada Award, honouring the best book or substantial article published in Ontario in the past three years which has brought public awareness to the principles of freedom of conscience and freedom of thought, is awarded to L. D. Cross, for The Underground Railroad: The Long Journey to Freedom in Canada, James Lorimer & Company.

The awards was presented at the Society's Annual General Meeting and Honours and Awards Ceremony on June 4^th, 2011in North York.

Founded in 1888, The Ontario Historical Society (OHS) is a non-profit corporation and registered charity dedicated to increasing an appreciation of Ontario's history and preserving its heritage for people of all ages and cultural backgrounds.

Photo: The 2010 OHS Cruikshank Medal was presented to Dr. John Carter (middle) for many years of volunteer service to the Society. On hand to present the award to Dr. Carter was MPP Michael Prue (Beaches-East York) and Dr. Sharon Jaeger, Chair, OHS Honours and Awards Committee.
 

Download this Press Release