Arts opportunity

Announcing the third year of The Prairie Grindstone Prize — a $50,000 literary award that acknowledges a hardworking, engaged prairie writer. 

Nominations for The Prairie Grindstone Prize open on April 1 and will close on May 15 at midnight.

This annual prize, funded by an anonymous donor committee, alternates between the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. This year, the prize will be awarded to an Alberta writer. The Prairie Grindstone Prize recognizes prairie writers of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction with a cash prize of $50,000 that will enable the writer to focus on their work for a year or more.

This is not a book prize. It is awarded in acknowledgement of an author’s body of work and their contribution to the public’s appreciation for and understanding of Western Canada’s landscape, people, history, and culture.

The writer must have been a resident of the province of Alberta for the past five years, have a minimum of four professionally published books, and be an active member of the local writing community.

Authors may not self nominate and recipients will be selected by a jury of peers.

Full nomination guidelines can be found here: www.prairiegrindstoneprize.ca/nominate Letters of nomination and inquiries can be sent to grindstoneprize@gmail.com 

For more information, please contact
Lisa Murphy Lamb, Jury Chair
Jun Lee, Marketing
e: grindstoneprize@gmail.com 

www.prairiegrindstoneprize.ca
IG: @prairiegrindstoneprize
FB: Prairie Grindstone Prize

The Allied Arts Council of Pincher Creek is a non-profit community arts organization that makes our home in the beautiful historic Lebel Mansion in Southern Alberta. 

We are currently accepting submissions for our 2026 season. We invite solo and group artists to apply for the 2026 exhibition season.

​Please visit our website for all the details, including an updated gallery submission information packet which will guide you through the process. 

We strive to host thought-provoking exhibitions that appeal to a diverse audience in order to expand understanding of the visual arts in the community. Our art gallery exhibits working artists at all levels of their artistic careers and curates dynamic exhibitions that showcase strong, current Canadian art. We provide a yearly exhibition schedule balancing local artists and artists from throughout Canada working in all mediums.

The Allied Arts Council of Pincher Creek’s preference is for exhibitions that are for sale, however we will consider submissions that do not include works for sale. The AAC has a commission rate of 30% on all sales in addition to paying artist fees. All exhibitions will be curated and installed by the AAC's Executive Director, Kassandra Chancey and/or experienced volunteers in coordination with the artist or group. 

If you are applying as a solo artist and we see potential for a group show collaboration amongst submissions will be in contact with you. 

​The 2026 exhibitions run for 6-8 consecutive weeks and artists are paid $1000 for showcasing their work. 

Deadline for submissions: 11:59 pm, Friday August 1, 2025 
 

Application Deadline July 9, 2025

Program Dates Jan 12, 2026 - Jan 30, 2026

Overview  

This residency provides individual musicians and bands/ensembles of all genres with space and dedicated time to research, create, and develop projects within Banff Centre’s exceptional campus and mountain setting. 

You will have the freedom to focus on your artistic process and structure your time according to your project’s needs. Additionally, you'll receive artistic inspiration and career advice from well-established faculty. The diverse range of artistic influences over the three weeks, combined with opportunities for peer interaction and collaboration, will foster new discoveries and transformative experiences. 

Description

This residency offers the unique opportunity for musicians at all career stages and all genres time and space to:

• Research, develop, and create their own projects, taking risks and experimenting with new ideas in a supportive environment to enhance creative practices.
• Focus on creative exploration and experimentation through peer and mentor-led group or one-on-one sessions.
• Be inspired by peers and collaborate with musicians across various genres.
• Explore new material and performance practices through public concerts that simulate professional working conditions and timelines.
• Learn to self-record in your own studio to independently document and disseminate your work.
• Gain insights into industry best practices for recording demos by collaborating with audio engineers, professional training participants, and mentors (if available).
• Join an expanded artistic community at Banff Centre for ongoing networking and support throughout your career.

A limited number of studio recording possibilities will be offered by the Professional Training Program: Audio Engineer: BMiR participants.  

Requirements

The program is ideal for individual musicians, ensembles, bands, composers, and music researchers who wish to:

• Spend focused time on a specific project
• Create new works
• Prepare for concerts, auditions, or competitions
• Explore and research innovative ideas

Participants should be comfortable working autonomously in an unstructured environment to fully benefit from the program. Musicians at all levels are encouraged to apply. Attendance for all three weeks of the residency is required.

Artistic Associate

Those seeking additional professional development can apply for the role of Artistic Associate, this unique opportunity is available to an individual of exceptional musical ability and maturity. In addition to the program elements the Artistic Associate will:

• Act as the liaison between faculty and musicians throughout the program.
• Be involved in the delivery and event curation of the Banff Musicians in Residence program.
• Facilitate communication between visiting artists, resident musicians, Music programming, and production staff.

The successful applicant for the Artistic Associate will receive a scholarship covering 100% of the program costs and a travel award that is subject to regional maximums, not to exceed $1500. 

• Standard scholarship: covers 100% of tuition fees, and 50% of meals and accommodation costs

Apply Now