Honorary Awards
Deadline Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Emily Carr University of Art + Design is proud to bestow honorary degrees and Emily Awards to luminaries within the creative and philanthropic spheres.
Our honorary degree program is a celebration of commitment, dedication and service. It recognizes people who are distinguished by their significant contributions and accomplishments and whose excellence reflects positively upon the university.
The Emily Award is presented annually to recognize a member of our alumni whose outstanding achievements in art, media and design have brought honour to the university. Both distinctions are awarded as per policy 1.10 Honorary Awards.
Honorary Degree
Honorary degrees are awarded to individuals who are widely recognized for outstanding and sustained creative and philanthropic achievements in their areas of expertise. In some instances, honorary degrees will be awarded for meritorious service to education or to the university where this service has brought distinction and honour to the university.
Nominations
The university can award an Honorary Doctor of Letters, Technology or Laws and the categories for nominations include Luminary, Cultural Innovator and Philanthropy.
To nominate an individual for an honorary degree, we suggest you first review the list of previous recipients before reading the policy on honorary awards and the guidelines for honorary degrees. You can then submit a completed nomination form along with the required information.
Previous Honorary Degrees
2025
Alanis Obomsawin
Chepximiya Siyam’ Chief Janice George
Paul Larocque
2024
Carole Itter
Kirk Tougas
2023
Glenn Lewis
Paul Wong
2022
T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss
Xwalacktun
2021
Eve Tuck
Nettie Wild
2019
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun
Terry Irwin
2018
Rebecca Belmore
Angela Grauerholz
Kim Gordon
Pierre Hébert
2017
Hock E Aye VI Edgar Heap of Birds
Lisa Robertson
Peeter Wesik
2016
Catriona Jeffries
Janice Kerbel
Jon Stovell
2015
Lorna Brown
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander
Eric Metcalfe
Pan Gongkai
Kate Fletcher
John Montalbano
Evaleen Jaager Roy
2014
Hank Bull
Art Gensler
Jake Kerr
Gerald McMaster
Chip + Shannon Wilson
2013
Xu Bing
Shengtian Zheng
Michael O’Brian
2012
Dempsey Bob
Peter Brown
2011
Marian Bantjes
Dan Graham
Mark Lewis
2010
Fred Herzog
Jessica Stockholder
2009
Stan Douglas
Sarah McLachlan
2008
Emily Carr (posthumous)
Peter Doig
William Gibson
Ann Kipling
Susan Point
Bob Rennie
2007
Wanda Koop, D. Litt
Buffy Sainte-Marie, D. Litt
Ian Wallace, D. Litt
2006
Walter Murch, D. Litt
Martha Sturdy, D. Litt
2005
Michael Audain, DLitt
Agnes Martin, DLitt (posthumous)
Michael Morris, DLitt
Sally Potter, DLitt
2004
Vera Frenkel, DLitt
Michael Snow, DLitt
Jim Hart, DLitt
Yosef Wosk, DLitt
2003
Janet Cardiff, DLitt
George Pedersen, DLitt
Al Neil, DLitt
Carol Henriquez, DLitt
2002
Bruce Dowad, DLitt
Rodney Graham, DLitt
Irene Whittome, DLitt
2001
Bruce Mau, DLitt
Eleanor Wachtel, DLitt
Joe Y. Wai, DLitt
2000
Douglas Cardinal, DLitt
Douglas Coupland, DLitt
Lynn Johnston, DLitt
Takao Tanabe, DLitt
Wendy Tilby, DLitt
1999
Atom Egoyan, DLitt
Betty Goodwin, DLitt
Abraham Rogatnick, DLitt
1998
Robert Davidson, DLitt
Phyllis Lambert, DLitt
1997
Bertram Charles Binning, DLitt (posthumous)
Edward John Hughes, DLitt
1996
Arthur C. Erickson, DLitt
Bill Reid, DLitt
Doris Shadbolt, DLitt
1995 Gordon A. Smith, DLitt
1994 Gathie Falk, Hon. Dip.
1993 Geoff Rees, Hon. Dip.
Donald Shumka, Hon. Dip.
1991 Alvin Balkind, Hon. Dip.
1990 Takao Tanabe, Hon. Dip.
1989 Graduating Class of 1929
1988 Henry Elder
1987 Walter Jungkind
1986 Tom Hudson, Dean Emeritus
1985 Colin Graham
Emily Award
To nominate an individual for an Emily Award, please review the Honorary Awards policy and the list of previous recipients and then submit a completed nomination form along with the required information.
Previous Emily Award Recipients
We are proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the following University alumni whose endeavours in the arts, media and design fields have brought honour to the University:
2025 Co-recipients:
Michelle Fu 符之欣 and Brian McBay
2024 Nadia Myre
2023 Zadie Xa
2022 Vanessa Kwan
2021 Laiwan
2020 No award given
2019 Marianne Nicolson
2018 Tsēmā Igharas
2017 Pat Christie
2016 Andrew Dadson
Naomi Singer
2015 Daina Warren
2014 Etienne Zack
2013 Giant Ant (Leah Nelson + Jay Grandin)
2012 Kourtney Roy
2011 Elizabeth Zvonar
2010 Jeff Chiba Stearns
2009 Pyramid Power (Jonah Gray, Sacha Hurley, Matthew Booth)
2008 Lindsey Pollard
2007 Sonny Assu
2006 Kathy Shimizu
2005 Jason DaSilva
2004 Isabelle Pauwels
2003 Brian Jungen
2002 No award given
2001 Leeta Harding
1980-2000
Roy Arden
Daina Augaitis
Judson Beaumont
David Burgess
David Coates
Douglas Coupland
Stan Douglas
Sylvie Fefer
Amanda Forbis
Graham Gillmore
Angela Grossmann
Arni Haraldsson
Sadashi Inuzuka
Celia King
Mary Longman
Attila Richard Lukacs
Dieter Mueller
Greg Murdock
David Ostrem
Laurie Papou
Eric Robertson
Paul Roelofs
Roderick Roodenburg
Derek Root
Wendy Tilby
Mina Totino
Ian Verchere
Kelly Wood
Jin-Me Yoon
Lawrence Yuxweluptun
1960-1979
Marian Penner Bancroft
Michael Banwell
Jon Baturin
Greg Bellerby
Persimmon Blackbridge
Simon Chang
Robert Davidson
Bruce Dowad
Monique Fouquet
Carol Henriquez
Lynn Hughes
Lynn B. Johnston
Ann Kipling
Liz Magor
Jeannie Mah
Raymond Mah
Vicky Marshall
Al McWilliams
Michael Morris
Wayne Ngan
Terre Nash
George Rammell
Marianna Schmidt
Judith Schwarz
Martha Sturdy
Renée Van Halm
Neil Wedman
Laura Wee Láy Láq
Irene F. Whittome
Robert Young
1940-1959
Peter Aspell
Molly Lamb Bobak
Keith Branscombe
Reinhard Derreth
Donald Jarvis
Rudy Kovach
Glenn Lewis
David Mayrs
George Norris
Geoff Rees
Gordon A. Smith
1925-1939
Unity Bainbridge
Paul Goranson
Edward John Hughes
Ada Currie Robertson