Q & A

Asian Canadian:

For the purpose of these awards, Asian Canadian is defined as a Canadian citizen with one or two parents of Asian descent. Countries of origin include India to the west, China to the north, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China (Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR), Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Japan, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, India, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Award Categories:

• Arts/Sports
• Business /Public Service
• Volunteerism
• Asia-Canada Relations
• Lifetime Achievement

Eligibility:

The award for Asia Canada Relations is open to all Canadians of any ethnic background, while the other four awards focus on Asian Canadians with one or two parents being Canadian of Asian descent.

Closing date:

The nomination period has been extended to April 8th, 2009.

Nomination selections:

Nominations are reviewed and selected by the AsiaNetwork Asian of the Year Award Selection Committee, chaired by the Hon. Sheila Copps, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Minister of Canadian Heritage. The committee consists of nine members, each a leader in a different sector of society (see Award Selection committee name list).

Make a nomination:

Nominations are available online, by fax or by mail. At least one reference letter is recommended in addition to the completion of the Nomination Form.

Parliament Ceremony:

The formal award ceremony is held on Parliament Hill in May each year, coinciding with the annual Asian of the Month celebrations across provinces.

Who are invited to the awards ceremony?

All members of Asian of the Year Award Society, including all award nominees, nominators, families of nominees and nominators - past and present - are all invited to attend the prestigious awards. In addition, invitations are sent to representatives from each level of the Canadian government, heads of Asian embassies in Canada, business and corporations, education and training institutions, Canada Asian trade associations and the general public. Interested in attending? Please write to awards@asianetwork.ca.