Organization of the Year
This award honors an arts or cultural organization for exceptional community impact in 2025 and/or 2026. Nominations should highlight new or expanded programs, services, partnerships, or initiatives that demonstrated meaningful engagement and impact beyond the organization’s ongoing work.

Artist of the Year
This award honors an individual creative working in any artistic discipline or cultural expression for their artistic achievements and community impact in 2025 and/or 2026. Nominations should highlight significant work, accomplishments, honors, or contributions from the past year that demonstrate the nominee’s creative excellence, leadership, and impact within the community.

Administrator of the Year
This award honors an arts or cultural administrator whose leadership, dedication, and contributions made a significant impact both within their organization and throughout the wider community in 2025 and/or 2026.

Arts Educator
This award honors an arts educator or teaching artist whose work has made a meaningful impact through the design and delivery of learning experiences in any artistic discipline. Nominations should reflect a strong commitment to arts education, an understanding of arts learning standards, and the unique ways the nominee has engaged and inspired learners through their work. This award is not limited to traditional the traditional classroom learning experience.

Arts Integration
This award honors an individual or organization that has led an interdisciplinary project, program, or initiative using the arts to deepen understanding of a non-arts subject or concept. This is not an arts education award; traditional instruction in artistic practice or skills will not be considered.

Community Organizer
This award honors an individual in the arts and cultural sector who is known for connecting and supporting people in the WNY region through shared arts or cultural experiences. Nominations should highlight unique events, programs, or opportunities that this person has organized, as well as examples of how these connections have improved the sector.

Impactful Programming
This award honors an artist or arts or cultural organization for a community-centered program or project that significantly impacted the WNY community. Nominations should highlight the uniqueness of the program, the impact it had on the community, and how it centered the community’s needs, including removing barriers to access.

Lifetime Achievement
This award honors an individual in the arts and cultural community for their career-long body of work, especially on the occasion of retirement or nearing the end of their professional career.

Rising Star
This award honors an emerging artist or arts administrator who is early in their career, new to their role, or entering the next phase of their career. Nominations must demonstrate the promise of success based on past achievements.

Supporter of the Arts & Cultural Sector
This award honors an individual or organization outside of the sector for their work directly aiding or supporting the arts and cultural industry.

Unsung Hero
This award honors an unpaid individual or group who has made a significant impact on an arts organization, artistic discipline, or the entire sector through their volunteer service.