About

In recognition of the many important contributions made within its community, the CCAC has created three awards to honour the involvement of its contributors and give thanks for their time and expertise. The nomination forms can be found on the individual pages for each award.

• Harry C. Rowsell Lifetime Achievement Award
  This award recognizes outstanding individuals who have made a lifetime of exceptional contributions to the CCAC and who uphold the highest standards in the ethical care and use of animals in Canadian science.
• Gilles Demers Award for Excellence in Animal Care
  This award, named for the late Dr. Gilles Demers, a long-time Assessment Director at the CCAC, recognizes outstanding individuals who have made exceptional contributions to institutional animal care and use programs, who uphold high ethical standards and practices, and actively champion the CCAC program within their organization. Nominees can include animal health technicians, animal care committee coordinators, community representatives, facility coordinators, and veterinary assistants.
• CCAC Emerging Leader Award
  This award recognizes individuals with less than 10 years of experience in the field of ethical animal care and use, who have demonstrated exceptional growth in their levels of leadership, responsibility, sphere of impact, and contribution to both the ethical care and use of animals in science and to the CCAC.

Nominations are accepted in both French and English. Each nomination package must include a completed award-specific nomination form and no more than five (5) pages in response to the particular award’s nomination questions. No cover letters or additional materials will be accepted as part of the nomination package or included in the evaluation of the nominee. All responses must be typed, in an 11-point font, and in PDF format. Please send completed nomination packages to the CCAC at (nominations will be accepted by email only). Only one winner will be chosen from each category.

The CCAC values diversity in experience, background, knowledge, cultures, and skills. We therefore encourage award nominations for all members of our community that meet the above criteria.

All materials must be received by email by March 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. (EST). All responses must be typed and in PDF format. Please send completed nomination packages to (nominations will be accepted by email only).

• Deadline to submit nominations: March 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (EST)
• Notification to winner: April 6, 2026
• Notification to all nominees and nominators: April 10, 2026
• Announcement of award: April 21, 2026

For every award category, the CCAC will review each nomination package to determine whether it contains a completed nomination form and responses to the five nomination questions. All eligible nomination packages will then be forwarded to the Award Selection Task Force, which is comprised of the chair and vice-chair of the board, a representative from the Secretariat, and one member each from the Standards, Assessment and Certification, and Public Affairs and Communications committees.

This task force is responsible for reviewing the candidates submitted for award consideration and recommending a winner from each award category to the board. One winner will be chosen from each category. Submissions will be evaluated according to an established evaluation rubric based on the nominator’s responses to the five nomination questions. Once the board has approved the nominees, the winners and the nominators will be notified by the Secretariat; all other nominees and nominators will be contacted shortly thereafter.

The CCAC’s Recognition Awards consist of a personalized engraved gift. The winner of each award will be announced through the CCAC’s digital media channels.

• During years when the CCAC National Workshop is held in person, winners will attend the presentation of the award at the CCAC National Workshop reception, where they are expected to say a few words (2-5 minutes). The event will be photographed and photos from the event will be used in materials such as the CCAC annual report, communiqués to CCAC stakeholders, CCAC social media channels, and on the CCAC website.
• During years when the CCAC National Workshop is held virtually, winners will be asked to create a video of their remarks (2-5 minutes), which will be made available during the virtual CCAC National Workshop. All winners will also be invited to the following year’s in-person National Workshop Reception. Photos, requested headshots, and photos of the following year’s reception, will be used in materials, such as the CCAC annual report, communiqués to CCAC stakeholders, CCAC social media channels, and on the CCAC website.

The winners' accommodations and travel will be paid for by the CCAC. This includes a one-night hotel stay, a one-day per diem, and a round-trip flight or train fare. It does not include registration to the CCAC’s National Workshop. Should the winners wish to extend their stay, all additional expenses will be borne by the winners.