Celebrate 30 Years of Arts Excellence in Mississauga – Get Your MARTY Awards Tickets NOW!
Mississauga, ON – May 15, 2025
Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) is pleased to announce that after much deliberation, our 10 juries (33 jurors) have released the names of the 69 finalists selected for the 30th Mississauga Arts Awards (MARTYS) across 10 juried award categories, determined the 3 Community Arts Award Winners, and 1 Special Award. On June 19, 2025, at the Mississauga Convention Centre, the esteemed MARTY Awards celebrate outstanding individual and organizational achievements across all artistic disciplines in the arts and culture ecosystem of Mississauga.
“This year’s MARTY Awards mark a historic milestone as we celebrate excellence for the 30th time,” says Mike Douglas, MAC’s Executive Director. “For three decades, The MARTYS have honoured the inspiring creativity, passion, and dedication of Mississauga’s arts community. This special edition promises to be an unforgettable night. And we invite arts lovers and supporters to join us on June 19th, at the Mississauga Convention Centre to celebrate these remarkable talents in action for us.”
Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists, community arts award recipients, and—new for 2025—one special award winner. You can find the full list of award finalists at the end of this press release.
MAC’s Board of Directors have reviewed outstanding leadership in the arts and have selected the 2025 Community Arts Award Winners:
For years, the Oxford Daniels partnership has been a steadfast sponsor of the MARTYS and the MACsquerade Ball. In 2024, they attempted to build a new Art Gallery and home for MAC. For their steady and innovative efforts, the Laurie Pallett Patron of the Arts Award is presented to the Oxford Properties Group & The Daniels Corporation.
Teresa Lau is honoured with the Hazel McCallion Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of her 11 years of dedicated service to Mississauga’s arts community and her ongoing support of Orchestras Mississauga. Her contributions include helping to establish and co-chair the early MSYO Parent Committee, planning the MSYO’s 10th Anniversary celebrations, and offering creative input for the John Barnum Service Award.
Don Breithaupt is awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his exceptional lifelong career as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, producer, and songwriter. A celebrated Emmy Award winner, he has also earned multiple SOCAN Awards, four Juno nominations, and recognition as a Billboard-charting artist.
MAC’s Board of Directors has also decided to present Clarkson Music Theatre with a Special Award for Community Theatre Excellence. This well-deserved honour celebrates Clarkson Music Theatre’s 80 remarkable years of bringing theatre to Mississauga and the strong sense of community that has shaped their legacy.
Join us in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the MARTY Awards—a night to remember! The evening kicks off at 6:00 PM with red-carpet photos, cocktails, and live music by Tyler Yarema. At 7:00 PM, enjoy a delicious three-course dinner and an inspiring awards ceremony hosted by Amin Dhillon. The night will feature exciting live performances by past MARTY Award winners Bree Taylor, Wali Shah, and U.N. Jefferson, with a special rendition of O Canada by India Brown. All are welcome!
Tickets are selling fast, the event has assigned seating at tables of 10. Tickets are $110 (MAC Member rate $85). Don’t miss out! Get your tickets through Eventbrite: martys2025.eventbrite.ca/?aff=pr.
To learn more about the awards, visit macarts.ca/martys.
Here are the Finalists…
30th Annual Mississauga Arts Awards Finalists
(listed alphabetically by last name)
Community Arts Group of the Year
Mississauga Music
Music Without Borders
Stay Woke
Studio.89
Music – Instrumental (Established)
Gaby Al Botros
Carson Freeman
Majd Sukar
Festival of the Year
Carassauga Festival of Cultures
Japan Festival CANADA
Living With Wellness Art Festival
Philippine Festival Mississauga
The Triple Threat Theatre Festival
Music – Solo Vocalist (Emerging)
Tracy Cui
Maame G
JSAL
Sangeet Mcan
RSHKA
Dance (Emerging)
Pardeep Kumar
Daijahmar Mason-Adams
Music – Solo Vocalist (Established)
Stephanie Braganza
Heather Christine
Shirshendu Mukherjee
Neddy
Karoline Podolak
Dance (Established)
Dhruv Naik
Parth Naik
Jenny Pullon
Shadow Entertainment
Visual Arts – Multimedia Arts (Emerging)
Shehzar Abro
Miss Daisy
Chantelle Dorafshani
Joanna Konopka
Rainier Naomi
Film/Video Arts (Emerging)
Jack Kukolic
Nader Nassereddine
Sabrina Saudin
Inaya Sher
Visual Arts – Multimedia Arts (Established)
Joanne Feely DeGraaf
Pernia Jamshed
Yen Linh Thai
Film/Video Arts (Established)
Naiyelli Romero Agüero
Carroll Chiramel
Dmitry Lopatin
Virinderpaul Singh
Visual Arts – Traditional Forms (Emerging)
Dianka
Hee J. Jo
Soka Lazara
Maariyah Mohiuddin
Literary Arts (Emerging)
Ayomide Bayowa
Leah Duarte
Roann Enriquez
Anjula Evans
Tahira Rajwani
Visual Arts – Traditional Forms (Established)
Priscilla Kar Yee Lo
Hans Poppe
Thaniath Siddiqui
Winsom Winsom
Literary Arts (Established)
Paul Edward Costa
Sabyasachi Nag
Sneha Subramanian Kanta
Anna Yin
Music – Group (Emerging)
6ix Pal Mundo
BluPrint
Vacant Space
Music – Group (Established)
Arlene & the People
ASD Band
Carn Davidson 9
Fiddlestix
MAYBE MAY
Thank you to our 2025 MARTY Sponsors!
Champion Sponsor: Century Audio Visual
Resounding Sponsors: Chartwell Retirement Residences, Oxford Properties Group & The Daniels Corporation
Award Sponsors: Art Gallery of Mississauga; Bell; Express Scripts; Insuranceland Inc.; LiUNA! Local 183; Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA); Laurie Pallett, Visit Mississauga; Mississauga Arts Council Board of Directors.
And to our 2025 Friends of the MARTYS.
About the Mississauga Arts Awards
This year, MAC received over 130 nominations for the MARTY Awards. Each year, MAC accepts nominations from any emerging or established professional artists who are residents of the City of Mississauga, have a significant connection to the city, or have made a major contribution to the arts within Mississauga. The Mississauga Arts Awards (The MARTYS) are MAC’s annual award show celebration that recognizes the accomplishments of both individual artists and community arts organizations for their creative contributions to our city. Learn more: macarts.ca/martys
For more information about the 2025 MARTY Awards, please contact:
Sherri Parliament, Communications Manager
Mississauga Arts Council
sherri@macarts.ca