<div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:12.8px;text-align:center"><i>PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT </i></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22nd, 2016 - Kelowna, BC.</div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><p>UPDATE: 9th Annual Okanagan Arts Awards </p><p><br></p><p>The Okanagan is showing a huge interest and response to the nominations call for the 9th Annual Okanagan Arts Awards. The date of the awards has been moved to May 28th, and for the first time will take place at the popular downtown entertainment venue the Habitat in downtown Kelowna. In order to support the level of interest and the new date of the event, nominations for deserving artists and cultural practitioners has been extended to Sunday, March 6th at 9pm. </p><p><br></p><p>The Okanagan Arts Awards is run by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan (ARTSCO) The awards will bring together hundreds of the top creative talent in the Okanagan and their guests to celebrate a night of artistic excellence.</p><p><br></p><p>“We’re really excited about holding this year’s Okanagan Arts Awards at the Habitat. It's a great networking event for artists, and anyone from the public can also come out to feel inspired and discover the huge creative skill set the Okanagan has to offer.” says ARSTCO board member Gillianne Richards, who hosted the awards with CBC's Chris Walker for the past 3 years. "This year we're mixing it up and trying new things, we want to give a fresh feel to the event and choosing the Habitat as the location is part of that decision. We want patrons to be able to get dressed up for a beautiful gala and also have fun mingling at a hip club while enjoying tasty samples from the food trucks we'll have set up out back. It's about bringing more culture to the Leon area and putting on a great event in the heart of town."</p><p><br></p><p>The nomination process is very simple - submit the nominee’s name, email, and a minimum of one web link / url showcasing the nominee’s work. You can submit up to 3 in total. This a great option for performing artists - dancers, musicians, actors - as it allows the selection committee to see the nominee in action via online videos. The nominees finalists will have their names and work promoted before the show.</p><p><br></p><p>There are 12 categories in total for this year’s Okanagan Arts Awards. </p><p><br></p><p>7 Awards for Artistic excellence in 7 disciplines: visual arts, dance, music, theatre, literature, applied art and time based media and 5 new award categories: Emerging Artist, Innovation in the Arts, Art & Business, Business Supporter of the year and the Community Impact Award. </p><p><br></p><p>The Okanagan Arts Awards were created by ARTSCO to celebrate the highest levels in all disciplines of artistic and creative achievement. By publicly acknowledging the work of individuals and organizations, the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan places the efforts and contributions of local artists front and centre as an integral part of our vibrant community. </p><p><br></p><p>The 9th Okanagan Arts Awards nominations are eligible to residents of the Central Okanagan: Peachland, West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, Kelowna or Lake Country. </p><p><br></p><p>All nominations can be submitted via <a href="http://artsco.ca/" target="_blank">artsco.ca</a> Nominations close Sunday, March 6th, 2016 at 9pm. </p><p><br></p><p>- 30 - </p><p>Media Contact:</p><p>Katie Brennan // <a href="tel:250-861-4123" value="+12508614123" target="_blank">250-861-4123</a> // <a href="mailto:director@artsco.ca" target="_blank">director@artsco.ca</a></p><p>Executive Director of the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan</p></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:12.8px">Arts Council of the Central Okanagan</div><div style="font-size:12.8px">250-861-4123 // <a href="mailto:heythere@artsco.ca" target="_blank">heythere@artsco.ca </a> // <a href="http://artsco.ca/" target="_blank">artsco.ca </a></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><b style="font-size:12.8px">Located in the Rotary Centre for the Arts at 421 Cawston Ave, Kelowna</b><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><b style="font-size:12.8px"><br></b></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><img src="http://www.artsco.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/OAA-LOGO-SCREEN.png" width="420" height="186"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"></div><div><div style="font-size:12.8px"> </div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><a href="http://www.artsco.ca/wordpress/okanagan-arts-awards-2015-call-for-nominations/" target="_blank">The 9th Annual Okanagan Arts Awards NOMINATIONS are NOW OPEN </a></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><a href="http://www.artsco.ca/wordpress/okanagan-arts-awards-2015-call-for-nominations/" target="_blank">- nominate a deserving artist today</a></div></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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