Curling Canada is launching a new annual monetary awards program for junior curlers growing the sport in meaningful and inclusive ways.

The All Heart Junior Curlers Awards is for young Canadians who embody the values of curling by placing the highest priorities on fair play, respect, and inclusivity and who care passionately about diverse representation of the Canada-wide curling community. The award aims to give the next generation of builders the support needed to create a more empowered sporting community. 

“Celebrating inclusion in our sport is so important. I’m excited to see this award move forward because I know some fantastic young people are doing incredible things. Now, their hard work will be highlighted through the All Heart Junior Curlers Awards,” said Andrew Paris, member of the All Heart Junior Curler Awards selection panel [and a former Summerside PEI resident/curler].

Paris is the founder of the grassroots organization Black Rock Initiative and embodies the spirit of the All Heart Junior Curler Awards. His organization is creating opportunities for BIPOC youth to learn about and play the sport of curling and aims to provide curling facilities with the support and tools needed to be truly welcoming and offer diverse resources in their communities.

Through Curling Canada’s For the Love of Curling philanthropic program, $20,000 will be invested annually into deserving junior curlers who are building the sport in their communities by advancing their personal curling goals and developing programs focused on building a more diverse and inclusive sport.

Eight individuals will receive a $2,500 award, allocated as a $1,000 curling-related personal expense reimbursement and $1,500 contribution payable to their curling facility, to make those goals a reality, and they will be dispersed across the country, so every region feels the impact of the All Heart Junior Curling Awards.

Two individuals in each the West (British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alberta), Prairies (Saskatchewan, Manitoba), East (Northern Ontario, Ontario, Nunavut and Quebec), and Atlantic (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador) will receive awards to make those goals a reality. 

This program complements the For the Love of Curling Scholarship program, which plays an active role in supporting the next generation of curlers who best demonstrate athletic and academic prowess and community leadership and volunteerism.

Karsten Sturmay, a former For the Love of Curling Scholar, and a member of the scholarship selection panel for five consecutive years (2017-2021), was instrumental in the creation of the new All Heart Junior Curler Award.

Sturmay, who will join Paris on the inaugural All Heart Junior Curler Award selection panel, recognizes the curling community is chock-full of inspiring young leaders who will make exceptional guardians of our sport.

The All Heart Junior Curler Awards application deadline is July 31. Full application details and program information can be found here.

Click to read at Curling Canada: https://www.curling.ca/blog/2022/06/01/new-junior-curler-award/