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Call for Nominations: Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue

September 15, 2022

Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue is now accepting nominations for the 2023/24 Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue

The Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue is presented every second year to an individual who has demonstrated international excellence in the use of dialogue to increase mutual understanding and advance complex public issues. 

Far more than a simple ceremony, the Blaney Award includes a short programming residency that builds upon the recipient’s work to achieve tangible outcomes, reflecting the mandate of Simon Fraser University to be Canada’s most community-engaged research university. The residency is hosted in Vancouver with programming that involves dialogue practitioners, government decision-makers and members of the public. 

Recent Blaney Award programs have engaged thousands of participants through the hosting of international announcements, book launches, capacity building workshops and connecting with policy-makers. Last year, writer, podcaster, facilitator, abolitionist and movement mediator, adrienne maree brown, received the 2021/22 Blaney Award for her transformative work in embodied and equity-focused facilitation. 

How to Nominate

We invite the public to submit nominations for the 2023/24 Blaney Award by filling out the nomination form or or by emailing dialogue@sfu.ca. with a few sentences about your nominee(s) and links to further information. Although the award has historically been awarded to a single individual, we accept nominations of teams of individuals whose collective work should be recognized. 

Nominations are encouraged from around the world in the fields of international diplomacy and conflict resolution, climate solutions, diversity and inclusion, civic engagement and urban sustainability. 

Criteria used to select the recipient include: 

  • Demonstrated international excellence in the use of dialogue to increase mutual understanding 

  • Global significance of their work in addressing complex and profound public issues

  • Related programming opportunities

The award endowment includes funds to cover recipient transportation and associated programming costs as well as a CAD10,000 cash award. 

Download Nomination Package.

Nomination deadline:
December 16, 2022

Inquiries: SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, dialogue@sfu.ca

Submit A Nomination

What is dialogue?

Dialogue is a concentrated conversation among equals. It offers helpful ways to work together cooperatively, encourages mutual understanding between diverse perspectives and leads to stable, resilient outcomes.

Dialogue involves engaging in collaborative inquiry into a central topic. Productive dialogue is entered with a spirit of curiosity, an interest in continually learning from and with others, and a willingness to be changed. Instead of arguing, convincing and advocating for what one already knows, dialogue encourages one to enter a space of the unknown—exploring diverse experiences and values, as well as points of agreement and disagreement.