The da Vinci Science Fair Award
The Association offers one or more annual awards totally $250 to students entered in the Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair.
The focus of this award is creativity combined with sound, demonstrated understanding of the scientific method. (The criteria are listed here.) The judges are qualified members of the Association.
The Fair is usually held in late March or early April. Winners are announced during the Fair's closing ceremonies.
For more information about the BASEF, including when and where to find application forms, visit the
Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair website (http://basef.ca).
The Maitland Banting Silver Quill Award
The Association offers one or more annual awards totalling $250 to winners in the Hamilton Public Library's "Power of the Pen" literary competition for teenage writers of fiction in the short-story format.
The focus of this award is excellence in the use of the English language, with emphasis on the clarity and effectiveness of the writing. The judges are qualified members of the Association.
Award winners and their families are invited to attend the HPL's awards presentation ceremony at the Central Branch of the Hamilton Public Library.
For more information about the HPL's Power of the Pen conpetition, when and where to find application forms, and links to award-winning stories and poems from past years, visit the
Power of the Pen page on the Hamilton Public Library website (https://teens.hpl.ca/power-pen).
This Award was first presented in 1982 as part of the Association's 125th anniversary celebrations, due in large measure to the inspiration and efforts of long-time Council member Maitland Banting (1901-2003), who championed and nurtured recognition of young writers. Mr. Banting oversaw the Silver Quill Award until 1997, when the Association joined with the HPL to provide an additional level of recognition for the short-story winners in the Library's Power of the Pen competition. The Association renamed the award in 2000 to honour the many years of devoted attention given to it by Mr. Banting.
Young Musician Award
The Association offers one award of $250 each year to a student musician for excellence in performance with any instrument used in an orchestra, including piano, or with voice.
Administered since 2015 by the Dundas Valley Orchestra (DVO) on behalf of the Association, this award includes an invitation to perform with the DVO during one of their concerts.
The focus of this award is musicianship and interpretation. For additional information about eligibility and how the award is adjudicated, visit the Dundas Valley Orchestra website (http://www.dundasvalleyorchestra.ca/students/).
From 2003 to 2006 the Music Award, as it was then labelled, was given to a young musician who competed for but did not win the Lee Heppner Award at the annual Hamilton Kiwanis Festival.
Young Poet Award
The Association offers one or more annual awards totalling $250 to winners in the Hamilton Public Library's "Power of the Pen" literary competition for teenage writers of poetry.
The focus of this award is excellence in the use of the English language in poetry, with emphasis on creativity and effectiveness. The judges are qualified members of the Association.
Award winners and their families are invited to attend the HPL's awards presentation ceremony at the Central Branch of the Hamilton Public Library.
For more information about the Power of the Pen conpetition, when and where to find application forms, and links to award-winning stories and poems from past years, visit the
Power of the Pen page on the Hamilton Public Library website (https://teens.hpl.ca/power-pen).
This award was inaugurated in 2001 as a companion for the Maitland Banting Award for fiction in the short-story format.