Working to preserve Ottawa's past
for future generations.
Sponsorships and Awards
The Historical Society of Ottawa offers a range of awards.
HSO is the official patron of the Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair which provides two awards, Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa Award and Indigenous Sacred Chaudière Falls Award, to up to four local students, ranging from Grades 4 to 10. The awardees of the ORHF awards are selected by a selection committee made up of judges from a wide variety of local organizations.
To commemorate the bicentennial of Bytown and the Rideau Canal, for the year 2026, instead of the WCHSO Award, HSO will instead be presenting the “HSO Bytown200 Award” ($300) for the top student project specifically pertaining to a) Bytown, b) the Rideau Canal or c) the impacts of Bytown and/or the Rideau Canal on the Indigenous people for whom the Ottawa area has been there traditional home.
In addition, HSO has provided in past years The Colonel By Award to one undergraduate student at each of our two local universities which have a History department: the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, as well as the Applied Museum Studies Award for one student at Algonquin College. The post-secondary awards were selected by their respective faculties.
Children categories
Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair
The Historical Society of Ottawa is an official sponsor of the Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair (ORHF), which is usually held in April.
Indigenous Sacred Chaudière Falls Award
The Indigenous Sacred Chaudière Falls Award is given for a project that reflects and celebrates Indigenous history, culture and traditions in the Ottawa region, or that looks at the impact of settler colonial policies on Indigenous peoples in the Ottawa region. Award consists of $300 and a certificate.
Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa Award | Prix des fondatrices
Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa Award | Prix des fondatrices is presented annually at the Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair. The award is given to research project on an Ottawa-themed historical project. A certificate is awarded, along with a cash prize of $300. (previously known as Sir Richard William Scott Award)
The Colonel John By Award
The Colonel John By Award in History was a prize of $750, awarded annually to both a Carleton University student and a University of Ottawa student in a graduate or undergraduate history course who wrote the best paper in their respective university in either English or French on a topic concerning the history of Ottawa or the Ottawa Valley. The students were awarded an additional $300 on submitting acceptable manuscripts for publication in the Bytown Pamphlet Series.
The Algonquin College Applied Museum Studies Award
The Algonquin College Award was a prize of $750, awarded annually to a student in the Applied Museums Studies program at Algonquin College.
The François Bregha Storyteller Award
The Historical Society of Ottawa François Bregha Storyteller Award was created to recognize individuals who have made an outstanding contribution toward increasing awareness of Ottawa history — HSO’s mission these past 125 years.
The award is named to honour the late François Bregha, former HSO member and creator/author of the History of Sandy Hill website and, posthumously in 2022, the inaugural recipient of the François Bregha Award.
Quick Links
About
Supporting Partners
