Honorary Awards

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

Honorary Degree Recipients

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:

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