Guidelines & Eligibility


The Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Community Arts Partnership Awards recognize the community’s crucial contributions to the arts. Following are the Guidelines and eligibility requirements for the 2022 Awards.

Nominations are now closed:

We’ll present the Community Arts Partnership awards, Columbus Makes Art Excellence Awards and recognize our Artist Elevated and Hanley Award recipients for a total of $97,000 in awards at our Big Arts Night on Nov. 3, from 5:00-7:30 at the Southern Theatre and Westin Great Southern Columbus! You won’t want to miss this historic evening combining community and artist awards, cabaret-style arts experiences and plenty of mingling with award winners and arts friends.

Categories:

Arts Educator: An individual who has made a significant contribution to making arts education opportunities available to students K-12 within a school system or in after-school programs or activities.

Emerging Arts Leader: An individual 40 years of age or younger who has had a significant, positive effect in helping the arts in central Ohio flourish through leadership, innovation, creativity and/or investment.

Michael B. Coleman Arts Partner: A civic, community or business leader who is a role model for long-term and exemplary support of the central Ohio arts and cultural community because of their significant contributions of time, effort and/or financial resources

Employer, less than 100 employees: A non-arts, for-profit or non-profit, business or government entity with less than 100 employees that has offered current, creative and innovative support to one or more arts organizations in greater Columbus since September 2021.

Employer, 100+ employees: A non-arts, for-profit or non-profit, business or government entity with 100 or more employees that has offered current, creative and innovative support to one or more arts organizations in greater Columbus since September 2021.

Dale E. Heydlauff Community Arts Innovation Award: $5,000 awards presented to innovative arts and cultural projects or initiatives that have addressed the unprecedented and challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and/or social justice and equity efforts by creating something that helped lift up or provide relief to others in the community. Projects completed since September 2021 are eligible for this award.

Nominations are now closed.

Nominations for the Columbus Makes Art Excellence Awards are for nonprofit organizations and projects funded by the Arts Council and are by invitation only.

Nominations are reviewed and award recipients selected by the Greater Columbus Arts Council Board of Trustees.

The following guidelines apply to the nomination process.

  • Nominators may submit multiple nominations.
  • Individuals, organizations and businesses may not nominate themselves for the Arts Educator, Emerging Arts Leader or Employer awards.  Self-nominations ARE allowed for the Dale E. Heydlauff Community Arts Innovation Award.
  • Individuals, collectives of artists, organizations and businesses (both for profit and nonprofit) are eligible.
  • Nominees must currently live or work in the central Ohio area.
  • Only online nominations will be accepted.
  • Greater Columbus Arts Council staff and board members are not eligible to be nominated.
  • Deadline for nominations is Wednesday, September 14 at 5 p.m.