The SMQ Awards

The candidate must:

• be a SMQ member in good standing;
• have twenty or more years of museum experience;
• have made a significant and ongoing contribution to the development of museology in Quebec;
• have distinguished themselves through an exceptional contribution to the museum community in Quebec.

The application file must contain:

• the duly completed application form;
• a comprehensive CV;
• supporting documents (visual or other);
• at least three reference letters in support of the candidacy.

The candidate must be a SMQ member in good standing;

• have a minimum of seven years experience in the museum field;
• demonstrate exceptional skills in their professional practice;
• have a track record of museum achievements that demonstrate exceptional mastery of the knowledge required to practice the profession.

The application file must contain:

• the duly completed application form;
• a CV;
• the summary of a significant project or important achievements in museology;
• supporting documents (visual or other);
• a reference letter.

Each museum institution may submit only one project per year for the Outstanding Achievement Awards.

The project must:

• have been carried out or produced by a museum institution that is a member in good SMQ standing;
• have been completed between April 1, 2025 and  March 31, 2026 (however, its dissemination may extend beyond this period);
• exceed museum practice standards in both content and form;
• have been put together and produced primarily by one or more Quebec residents;
• demonstrate initiative, innovation and creativity;   
• reflect the effective use of available resources.

The application file must contain:

• the duly completed application form and specifications file:
• a comprehensive list of credits;
• supporting documents: publication, brochure, exhibition texts, excerpts from a video, production, reproduction of exhibition panels, 2D model or modelling, hyperlink(s), etc.

If the candidacy application is not submitted by a museum institution, it must include a letter of authorization from the relevant institution.

The winner is a museum institution whose initiative or practice has stood out in the field of socio-ecological transition. The initiative or practice must:

•  have been carried out or produced by a museum institution that is in good standing with the;
• have been implemented between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026;
• have been put together and primarily produced by one or more Quebec residents;
• address one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the UN;
•  be innovative and exemplary;
•  use available resources responsibly;
• be presented in one of the two award categories: organizational category or museum functions category.

The application file must contain:

• The duly completed specifications file and application form;
•  A list of credits;
•  Supporting documents in digital format: photographs, publications, hyperlinks etc.
  The application must be submitted by a museum institution located in Quebec.

Carol Pauzé, a museum manager with a remarkable career, who has worked for Parks Canada, the Groupe DES, the McCord Museum, the Montreal Science Centre and, most recently, the Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier until 2023. 

Samuel Gaudreau-Lalande, manager, researcher and speaker who has been the director of the Colby-Curtis Museum since 2019.

Outstanding Achievement Award – category 1 ($2 M and more) 
MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises for La création du MEM.

Outstanding Achievement Award – category 2 ($750,000 to $2 M) 
Boréalis - Musée de l'industrie papetière for its exhibition Transformations, de l’usine d’hier à la forêt de demain.   

Outstanding Achievement Award – category 3 ($250,000 to $750,000)
Galerie de l’UQAM et Galerie UQO for the exhibition Faux plis par hypothèses. 

Outstanding Achievement Award – category 4 ($75,000 to $250,000)
Musée des plaines d’Abraham for the exhibition Québec 1775 : enneigée et assiégée. 

Outstanding Achievement Award – category 5 ($ 75,000 and less)
Musée POP, for Roule sur ta créativité!

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for the exhibition  ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik : Essence of Life.

The 2025 Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins Socio-Ecological Transition Award, in the organizational initiatives and practices category:
Musée McCord Stewart, Sustainable investment policy.

The 2025 Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins Socio-ecological Transition Award, in the museum functions initiatives and practices category:
Boréalis - Musée de l’industrie papetière for the exhibition Transformations, de l’usine d’hier à la forêt de demain.

Nicolas Grenon-Simard, for his master's thesis: Entre monuments et fragments : la mise en exposition de la collection archéologique et patrimoniale du site Cartier-Roberval.