Jovette-Marchessault Award

Who is eligible for this award?

The Jovette-Marchessault Award recognizes women who have a marked influence on Montréal’s theatre scene. This year, the spotlight is on women directors!

The 2025–2026 call for applications is exclusively for directors.

What are the objectives of this award?

• Showcase women artists’ contribution to the development of theatre arts and the vitality of Montréal’s theatre scene
• Recognize the excellence of their work
• Highlight an artistic approach that contributes to the development of theatre practice, whether as a director, designer or playwright

What type of assistance is provided?

The winner will receive $20,000 from the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

Who are the program’s partners?

The Conseil des arts de Montréal is proud to partner with Théâtre ESPACE GO to administer and present this annual award.

The award was jointly created by the Conseil and ESPACE GO, in collaboration with Nahka Bertrand, Micheline Chevrier (Imago Theatre), Margarita Herrera Dominguez, Lior Maharjan and Marie-Ève Milot (Théâtre de l’Affamée).

What are the general eligibility criteria?

• Be a professional artist who identifies as a woman and works as a theatre director, designer or playwright
• Meet the definition of Professional Artist, as defined by the Conseil
• Reside on the Island of Montréal
• For Indigenous artists only, reside within 50 km of the Island of Montréal (including the communities of Kahnawake and Kanesatake) and work on the Island of Montréal
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada by the application deadline

Artists who have applied in the past and have not won, whether or not they were finalists, can re-apply.

Which applicants/applications are inegible?

• Artists who do not meet the general eligibility criteria
• Incomplete applications
• Applications received after the deadline
• Applications submitted by an employee or board of directors member of the main partners (the Conseil des arts de Montréal and ESPACE GO)
• Applications submitted a third party nominating an employee or board of directors member of the main partners

How many applications will be selected?

Three finalists will be selected and benefit from public visibility. Only one of them will be named the winner and receive the $20,000 grant. The other two finalists will each receive an airfare to Paris courtesy of Air Transat.

How can I submit an application?

The application can be submitted by the artist or someone representing them. The artist (or representative) must complete the application form. The form must be signed by the artist and, if applicable, her representative.

The same dossier can be submitted to various editions of the award.

What information and documents must I include in my application?

For all applications:

• completed and signed application form
• the artist’s curriculum vitae
• a letter (750 to 1,500 words max.), written and signed by the applicant that presents her artistic background and approach and take into account the objectives and evaluation criteria of the award
• two letters of support (750 to 1,000 words each), written and signed by artists or cultural workers, regardless of their artistic function or years of experience. To avoid any conflict of interest, letters may not be written by an employee or board of directors member of any of the award partner organizations. Letters should explain to the selection committee members how the applicant meets the award objectives and evaluation criteria
• Application Support Material: The supporting material must not exceed a maximum review time of 15 minutes. This includes internet, video or audio links, photographs, texts and any other materials of your choice. Please indicate whether the submitted material is copyright-free
• documents and the form must be sent together in one email, in a ZIP file, using WeTransfer or Dropbox links. The accepted electronic formats are as follows: PDF, DOC, DOCX Internet, video or audio links that can link to digital platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, SoundCloud, etc.
• applications must only be sent by email to prix@espacego.com. The subject line of the email must include “Jovette-Marchessault Award”

Please comply with the requested maximum number of pages and words for texts and support material.

No unsolicited appendices or documents submitted after the application deadline will be accepted for evaluation.

How are applications evaluated?

The Conseil ensures that the composition of each jury is representative in keeping with its vision of equity, diversity and inclusion.

Applications will be evaluated on merit, and the selection will take account of the comparative value of the proposals received.

What are the evaluation criteria?

• Quality and originality of the artistic approach
• Contribution of the artistic approach to the development of theatre practice and its impact on the public

When selecting the finalists and the winner, the Evaluation Committee will pay particular attention to the applicants’ diversity of experience, reflecting the richness of the theatre sector.

What is the response time?

The three finalists will be announced in April 2026. The winner will be announced to the public in May 2026.

Participants will be notified of the decision by email. Finalists will be required to provide some communication tools and participate in a special awards ceremony at Théâtre ESPACE GO on May 4, 2026.

How will the award be paid?

The winner will receive $20,000 in a single payment from Théâtre ESPACE GO on behalf of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

The prize money will be paid once the recipient has provided their social insurance number and contact details to Théâtre ESPACE GO so that a T4A can be issued for tax purposes. Under current tax laws, obtaining a cash prize is taxable income.