The CSAE Awards and Recognition Program recognizes the best and brightest in Canadian association management, from outstanding teams to individual luminaries. Whether your association is large, small, long-established or just starting up, CSAE Awards and Recognition celebrate your successes on the national scale. Show your employees how much you value their work, creativity and success; submit to the CSAE Awards and Recognition program!

How to Submit an Application for an Award

Congratulations to the 2021 CSAE Award nominees:

2021 CSAE Leadership Awards and Ottawa-Gatineau Awards
2021 CSAE Trillium Awards

Leadership Awards

Each year, CSAE is proud to recognize and honour those individuals and organizations who have demonstrated significant accomplishments, exemplary leadership and tireless commitment to Canada’s association community. We invite you to join us in celebrating the contributions made by your associates and fellow professionals.

Honorary Award of Excellence – Executive or Business Member

The Honorary Award of Excellence is CSAE’s most significant award and recognizes a member’s sustained commitment and outstanding volunteer contribution to CSAE and thus to the association sector at large.

Pinnacle Award – Executive Member

The Pinnacle Award recognizes exceptional and outstanding leadership in the association sector. This award honours those who have contributed to their own associations and to the not-for-profit sector at large.

Griner Award – Business Member

The Griner Award recognizes the exceptional and outstanding contributions that CSAE business members make to CSAE and to the association management profession at large.

Donna Mary Shaw Award for Emerging Leaders

The Donna Mary Shaw Award for Emerging Leaders recognizes emerging not-for-profit professionals. This award helps to develop tomorrow’s association leaders by providing resources, education, and mentorship. 

CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Awards

CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Service Excellence Award – Executive or Business Member

The CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Service Excellence Award recognizes and honours an Executive or Business member who has demonstrated significant accomplishments, exemplary leadership, and tireless commitments to CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau and/or the association community. 

CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Emerging Talent Award – Executive or Business Member

The CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Emerging Talent Award recognizes a member, who, within the first five years of the members’ careers in the association sector, or within the first five years of CSAE membership, has demonstrated remarkable promise as future leaders in the association sector.

CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Chair’s Award – Executive or Business Member

The CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Chair’s Award is awarded by the CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Council Chair to a deserving CSAE Executive or Business member who has made consistent, significant contribution to the network over the course of the CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Council Chair’s term.

CSAE Trillium Awards

CSAE Trillium Service Excellence Award – Executive Member

The CSAE Trillium Service Excellence Award – Executive Member recognizes a colleague or volunteer who, throughout their career, has demonstrated significant contribution and commitment to CSAE and the profession of Association Management or has made significant contributions in support of Association Management. Recipients of this award are those who have provided leadership, great ideas and inspiration.

CSAE Trillium Service Excellence Award – Business Member

The CSAE Trillium Service Excellence Award – Business Member recognizes a colleague or volunteer who, throughout their career, has demonstrated significant contribution and commitment to CSAE and the profession of Association Management or has made significant contributions in support of Association Management. Recipients of this award are those who have provided leadership, great ideas and inspiration.

CSAE Trillium Emerging Talent Award – Executive Member

The CSAE Trillium Emerging Talent Award – Executive Member recognizes one Executive Member, who, within the first five years of the members’ careers in the association sector, or within the first five years of CSAE membership, has demonstrated remarkable promise as future leaders in the association sector.

CSAE Trillium Emerging Talent Award – Business Member

The CSAE Trillium Emerging Talent Award – Business Member recognizes one Business Member, who, within the first five years of the members’ careers in the association sector, or within the first five years of CSAE membership, has demonstrated remarkable promise as future leaders in the association sector.

CSAE Trillium Chair’s Award – Executive or Business Member

The CSAE Trillium Chair’s Award is awarded by the CSAE Trillium Council Chair to a deserving CSAE Executive or Business member who has made consistent, significant contribution to the network over the course of the CSAE Trillium Council Chair’s term.

CSAE Trillium Circle of Distinction Award – Executive or Business Member

CSAE Trillium Circle of Distinction Award recognizes an outstanding volunteer who has provided exceptional leadership and exemplary service to CSAE Trillium over a sustained period of time. The award recipient is chosen by the CSAE Trillium Council.

CSAE Awards of Distinction (Submissions Open Late Spring)

The CSAE Awards of Distinction are based upon the core competencies of the CAE® program and honour outstanding achievement in association leadership, structure and governance; and/or the planning and execution of internal, external and integrated programs that serve your members and/or engage external stakeholders and volunteers.

Member Recognition

Long-Time Member Recognition

The CSAE Long-Time Member Recognition celebrates those individuals who have been members of the Society for a period of twenty (20) years or more. This recognition was celebrated for the first time at the 2002 CSAE National Conference & Showcase.

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