Indigenous Trailblazer Award application

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The Indigenous Trailblazer Award aims to recognize Indigenous women who embody the trailblazing spirit, which refers to the leadership mindset required to make extraordinary personal strides in navigating the mining industry. Indigenous Trailblazers are also forward-thinking women, drawing on experiences from the past and present to build strategies for the future.

Candidates can either be nominated or self-nominate for the Award. Nominees must be women and must be Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents at the time of their accomplishments. Nominators and Nominees do not need to be members of the Women in Mining Sudbury Chapter; however, they are encouraged to become members through the Women in Mining Sudbury website. 

Previous recipients of the Indigenous Trailblazer Award are not eligible for nomination again. 

The Nominee will be judged on the following criteria, which should be addressed in the cover letter:

• Particular achievement(s) demonstrating the Nominee’s contribution to the Canadian mining industry
• How the Nominee uses creative, intuitive, and innovative thinking to foster pioneering change
• How the Nominee is empowering other women in the Canadian mining industry, how they have opened doors for themselves and kept them open for other women
• How the Nominee is committed to the continual improvement of belonging and inclusion in the Canadian mining industry
• Nominee achievements can be from any Canadian mining industry sector category or area related to the Canadian mining industry, including technical, operational, professional, cultural, administrative, sustainability, etc.

Please include the following document in the attachments section:

1. Cover letter describing the Nominee’s achievements and contributions to the Canadian mining industry as described above (max two pages)
2. Optional: Up to three (3) letters of support for the Nominee

Selection of the Indigenous Trailblazer Award recipient will be made by the Award Selection Committee and will subsequently be approved by the Women in Mining Sudbury Board of Directors, whose decision will be final. Selection will be based solely on the documentation submitted.

All results will be made public in October 2026, and candidates will be informed accordingly. Recipients and the Awards will be celebrated at the 2026 Mining for Diversity Gala in Sudbury.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@wimsudbury.com.

The deadline is October 4, 2026, at 17:00 ET.