North

Arctic Inspiration Prize ceremony comes North for 1st time

Up to $3 million in prize money will be handed out Tuesday evening in Whitehorse.

Up to $3 million in prize money to be handed out in Whitehorse Tuesday evening

A view over snow-covered houses.
The Arctic Inspiration Prize ceremony will be held in Whitehorse on Tuesday evening. (Claudiane Samson/Radio-Canada)

The 2018 Arctic Inspiration Prize will be handed out in Whitehorse on Tuesday evening — marking the first time in its seven-year history that the awards gala will be held in the North.

The Arctic Inspiration Prize is the largest prize in Canada dedicated to awarding projects that serve the Canadian Arctic. 

Ten projects have been nominated this year, in three categories.

There are three nominees for the largest prize of $1 million:

  • Northern Compass — a project to help Northern youth pursue higher education and careers
  • Pirurvik — an early childhood education program based in Pond Inlet, Nunavut
  • Uqarluta Inuinnaqtun — an Inuinnaqtun language revitalization project.

Five other projects are shortlisted for the Arctic Inspiration Prize category that is worth up to $500,000, and two are in the running for the youth prize, which is worth up to $100,000.

The award ceremony on Tuesday will feature performances by Juno award winners Elisapie and Leela Gilday, along with Yukon's Diyet and special guest Wesley Hardisty. 

The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. PT, at the Yukon Arts Centre. You can also watch it live on CBC Yukon's Facebook page.