Award lifts voices for equality and counters digital abuse in Canada
Toronto, ON – March 8, 2024 – The Canadian Women’s Foundation has announced the winners of their first ever Feminist Creator Prize. The three winners have been selected for their work championing critical conversations about gender justice and equality, safety, and freedom from harm.
This year’s recipients are:
Madelyn Chung (@madelynchung, @theblossomfund)
Multidisciplinary creative, speaker, registered psychotherapist, and advocate for Asian North American women.
Hillary LeBlanc (@hillaryleblancmedia, @blacklantic)
Freelance journalist, podcaster and social media creator focussed on Black activism and fashion sustainability.
Coalition of Muslim Women KW (@cmw.kw)
Nonprofit organization empowering Muslim women and girls and using digital media to champion gender justice.
Winners were selected by a judging panel of well-known creators: Sasha Exeter, Kyne Santos, and Hannah Sung.
The Feminist Creator Prize, the only award of its kind in Canada, acknowledges, encourages, and supports diverse feminist creators who bolster feminist voices and challenge pervasive gendered digital hate and abuse. Presented in honour of award-winning journalist, activist, and feminist Michele Landsberg, each winner will receive a prize of $5,000.
“We’re thrilled to partner with three of Canada’s best digital creators to lift feminist voices using the power of digital media for gender equality,” says Suzanne Duncan, Acting CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation. “Gender equality is an urgent national priority, and we need safety and rights in our digital spaces too.”
Statistics Canada shows that one in five women experience online harassment. Young women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and Black women are among the most highly targeted. The Coalition for Women in Journalism reported that, in 2022, Canada was the top country where the most number of women journalists were targeted with organized troll campaigns. Additionally, almost one-third of Canadians are hesitant about using social media or taking part in online discussions due to harassment concerns.
“Countering harm against women, girls, Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people requires everyone to uphold safety and rights in all spaces, including social media and gaming and dating apps,” says Andrea Gunraj, Vice President of Public Engagement of the Canadian Women’s Foundation. “This culture change, along with mechanisms to ensure safety of all users in digital spaces, is critical.”
Ms. Gunraj is also the host of the Alright, Now What? podcast, which released an in-depth series of episodes on digital safety featuring experts and feminist creators.
Learn more about the Feminist Creator Prize and gendered digital hate, harassment, and violence in Canada.
The Canadian Women’s Foundation’s Feminist Creator Prize is sponsored by The Philanthropist Journal, Citizen Relations, and Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs Inc. and supported by Elevate Festival. The Canadian Women’s Foundation’s Alright, Now What? podcast series is funded in part by Canadian Heritage.
About the Canadian Women’s Foundation
The Canadian Women’s Foundation is Canada’s public foundation for gender justice and equality. We advance this by growing support for grassroots feminist action, partnering with communities and organizations to improve conditions, and building diverse leadership and knowledge for sustainable change. Since 1991, our generous donors and supporters have contributed more than $250 million to fund over 3,200 life-transforming programs throughout Canada.
For information and interviews, contact:
Amanda Cheung (she/her), Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs Inc.
Phone 416-484-1132 | Cell 437-855-2228 | Email amandacheung@brown-cohen.com
Editor’s Note: When referring to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, please use the full name. Please do not abbreviate or use acronyms.
