Mississauga, ON – June 26, 2025
“…The MARTYS have served as Mississauga’s red-carpet event of note over the past three decades. Celebrating our city’s artists and cultural leaders’ exceptional talent, innovation, and dedication,” said Mayor Carolyn Parrish, “This year’s awards showcase and celebrate the vitality, diversity, and strength of Mississauga’s art community. Not only does art enrich our lives, it transforms our communities…Congratulations to the Mississauga Arts Council on 30 years of leadership and advocacy. Your efforts ensure the arts remain a vital and vibrant part of our city.”
Welcoming a sold-out audience of 500 arts leaders and supporters, the milestone 30th Mississauga Arts Awards (The MARTYS) took place on June 19, 2025, honouring excellence across all artistic disciplines and recognizing the most outstanding achievements in Mississauga’s vibrant arts community.
Directed by show producer, Ron Duquette, the awards ceremony recognized the accomplishments of 68 finalists competing across 10 juried award categories. 17 Winners, 3 Arts Champions and 1 Special Award recipient were honoured. The list of MARTY winners can be found at the bottom of this press release.
Warm greetings from the Province of Ontario were delivered through official scroll presentations, honouring 30 years of showcasing the vibrant creativity and talent of Mississauga’s artists and arts community. Our sincere thanks go to MPP Nina Tangri (Mississauga–Streetsville), MPP Silvia Gualtieri (Mississauga East–Cooksville), MPP Sheref Sabawy (Mississauga–Erin Mills), and MPP Michael Tibollo (Vaughan–Woodbridge) for joining us on this special evening.
Amin Dhillon returned as host for the awards, welcoming guests to a night of celebration. The red-carpet reception featured live music from jazz pianist Tyler Yarema, followed by show-stopping performances from past MARTY Award winners, pop country vocalist Bree Taylor, poet Wali Shah, and the contemporary R&B band U.N. Jefferson. The night kicked off with a powerful rendition of O Canada by emerging vocalist, India Brown.
“From healing in silence to singing with boldness – being named a MARTY winner means more than words,” remarked JSAL, 2025 MARTYS Emerging Music – Solo Vocalist winner after receiving the award, “I’m so grateful for this community, this city, and the power of music for bringing everything full circle.”
“MAC proudly congratulates the 2025 MARTY Award winners, Community Award recipients, and all of this year’s finalists,” exclaimed Mike Douglas, MAC’s Executive Director. “Each honouree has demonstrated outstanding talent, passion, and dedication to their craft. This year’s milestone gala not only celebrated individual artistic excellence but also highlighted Mississauga’s growing cultural influence and unwavering support for local creatives across all disciplines.”
MAC would like to thank our Champion Sponsors: Century Audio Visual, Oxford Properties Group, The Daniels Corporation, and Resounding Sponsor: Chartwell Retirement Residences. Without their gracious support, this event would not have been possible. Our full list of sponsors and more details about the 2025 MARTYS can be found at macarts.ca/martys.
30th Annual Mississauga Arts Awards Winners
Community Arts Group of the Year
Studio.89
Festival of the Year
Carassauga Festival of Cultures
Dance (Emerging)
Daija Mason
Dance (Established)
Dhruv Naik
Film/Video Arts (Emerging)
Inaya Sher
Film/Video Arts (Established)
Virinder Singh
Literary Arts (Emerging)
Ayomide Bayowa
Literary Arts (Established)
Anna Yin
Music – Group (Emerging)
Vacant Space
Music – Group (Established)
Fiddlestix
Music – Instrumental (Established)
Majd Sukar
Music – Solo Vocalist (Emerging)
JSAL
Music – Solo Vocalist (Established)
Karoline Podolak
Visual Arts – Multimedia Arts (Emerging)
Rainier Naomi
Visual Arts – Multimedia Arts (Established)
Yen Linh Thai
Visual Arts – Traditional Forms (Emerging)
Diana Nadia Lawryshyn
Visual Arts – Traditional Forms (Established)
Hans Poppe
Community Award Winners
Laurie Pallett Patron of the Arts Award
Oxford Properties Group & The Daniels Corporation
Lifetime Achievement Award
Don Breithaupt
Hazel McCallion Volunteer of the Year Award
Teresa Lau
Special Award for Community Theatre Excellence
Clarkson Music Theatre
Thank you to our 2025 MARTY Sponsors!
Champion: Century Audio Visual, Oxford Properties Group, The Daniels Corporation
Resounding: Chartwell Retirement Residences
Award Sponsors: Art Gallery of Mississauga; Bell Canada; Express Scripts; Hazel McCallion Foundation, Hyatt Place Toronto/Mississauga & Lux Convention Centre; Insuranceland Inc.; Laurie Pallett, LiUNA! Local 183; Metalworks Institute; Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA); Visit Mississauga; Mississauga Arts Council Board of Directors.
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