Bathurst, April 11, 2011 – The Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick (AAAPNB) announced the opening of Éloizes Awards nominations as well as an important change to the deadline, which is now June 30th for all categories. As for the coup de cœur category, the general public has until May 31st to propose an artist, cultural stakeholder, event, show or honorary award.

The dates where changed for a very simple reason: “Given that we are receiving an increasing number of nominations and since the peers who assess the nominations must read every book, listen to every CD, watch every movie, show and other performance, we felt it was important for them to have more time to assess the quality of the works. Furthermore, by changing the submission deadline, it will be easier to organize the event, since the artistic concept is developed around the finalists.”

In September 2000, the AAAPNB set up a body responsible for the Éloizes award assessment process, as requested by it members. The Académie des arts et des lettres de l’Atlantique is the organization responsible for the supervision and operations of the juries, which assess the Éloizes Awards nominations.

The Académie is made up of nine people: six members representing the artistic disciplines (visual arts, media arts, dance, literature, music and theatre), as well as three members representing the provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. These individuals ensure that the rules are reviewed and adhered to, they see to the definition of categories and the overall operations of the competition process. Each member of the Académie associated with a specific discipline supervises a jury of peers made up of three to five people responsible for assessing the nominations in the “Artist of the Year” categories. The other Éloizes awards are allocated by a grand jury made up of nine Académie members, to which is added a member from each of the six discipline juries, for a total of 15 people. The academicians are appointed for a mandate of four years. Jury members who evaluate the nominations in the “Artist of the year” categories are appointed for a two-year mandate.

Louise Lemieux, AAAPNB president, underscored the importance of peer juries in the selection of finalists saying that “as an artist, receiving an Éloize or being an Éloizes finalist is an honour, because peer recognition is the greatest honour for an artist.” The Éloizes will be held May 3–6, 2012 in Bathurst. 

For further information on nominations and the coup du cœur competition, you can visit the AAAPNB website at www.aaapnb.ca. The period targeted for Éloizes 2012 is October 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011. You can also contact the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick at the following address: yannick.mainville@aaapnb.ca or by telephone at (506) 852-3313. 

Since 1998, the AAAPNB has produced the Soirée des Éloizes, a unique multidisciplinary showcase highlighting the effervescence of the artistic practise in Acadie. Since 2007, this evening has been part of an artistic event held over several days. For the Association, the promotional initiative is an excellent opportunity to raise arts awareness in the community.

Éloizes awards celebrate the dynamism, quality and originality of the work of professional Acadian artists. They are awarded in each of the six artistic discipline categories as well as to people and organizations that support arts and culture.

For further information: 

Catherine Blondin 
Project Manager
Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du N.-B.
Telephone: (506) 852-3313
Cellular: (506) 863-9857
catherine.blondin@aaapnb.ca