CANDY PALMATER AWARD

Awarded for the first time in 2022, The Candy Palmater Award named in honour of the late Candy Palmater, the celebrated Mi'kmaw actor, writer, broadcaster, comedian, and member of Eel River Bar First Nation in New Brunswick. The award was created to celebrate the life, enthusiasm, talent, and intelligence that flowed through all of Candy’s work, and to foster these same qualities in others.

Candy studied law in Halifax, working as a lawyer for the Nova Scotia government before turning to comedy and broadcasting. She created and hosted the award-winning The Candy Show on APTN, was a regular CBC personality, served as a co-host on CTV’s afternoon talk show The Social, and appeared in various shows, including Trailer Park Boys and Call Me Fitz. She also wrote a memoir which was published by Harper-Collins in 2022.

2025 AWARD NOMINATIONS

Nominations are now closed.

The recipient of the 2025 Candy Palmater Award will be announced at melaNATION: A QTBIPOC Showcase on July 17th.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2022 - Calendula Sack

2024 - Jenn Waugh