The MusCan George Proctor Prize  This prize is awarded annually for an outstanding paper presented in French or English, by a graduate student, at MusCan’s annual conference. The prize-winning paper will demonstrate original research in any recognized branch of musical scholarship and may be presented in either official language.  Dr. George Proctor (1931–85) was a pioneering bibliographer of information concerning music in Canada and a scholar of Canadian music. In the course of his career, he held positions in music departments in Canadian universities at both ends of the nation—McMaster, British Columbia, Western Ontario, and Mount Allison—as well as with the National Museum of Canada and the Eastman School of Music.

Prize amount: $500

Prize amount: $750

The MusCan Student Composition Prize is awarded annually to a student who has submitted a composition to be played at the Composers Concert featured in our annual conference. The winning composition is selected by the jury selecting works to be played at the conference. All students currently enrolled in a graduate program in composition are eligible for this award.

SOCAN Foundation/MusCan Awards for Writings on Canadian Music:  The SOCAN Foundation/MusCan Awards for Writings on Canadian Music are two  prizes intended to encourage students’ research and writing on Canadian music topics and music professors’ mentorship of students in these endeavors. One prize will be for the best English-language paper and one for the best French-language paper. Topics in Canadian music will be understood as potentially deriving from a wide range of genres, including, but not limited to, such areas as concert, folk, jazz, and popular music.

Prize amount: $2,500 each

Prize amount: $2,500

SOCAN Foundation/MusCan Award of Excellence for the Advancement of Research in Canadian Music:  To recognize, on an annual basis, a mature scholar who has established a nation-wide profile in the field of research into Canadian music and its composers. Canadian music is understood to include art music (vocal, instrumental, electroacoustic), folk, jazz, and popular (all genres).  The winner’s dissemination of research results will have demonstrably increased aural and cultural understanding of Canadian music among other musical scholars and among musical performers. It will also, whether directly or indirectly, have led to increased understanding of Canadian music among the general public for music, or among members of a younger generation of future audiences and musicians. The winner’s work may have accomplished the latter either directly (through talks and publications aimed specifically at general audiences or young people), or indirectly (through the talks and publications of later researchers who have been inspired by, and built upon, the winner’s contributions).