Okimâw Awards

06/03/2026

🌟 2026 Okimaw Awards Nominations Are Now Open! 🌟

Every community has those individuals who lead with kindness, strength, humility, and a commitment to making a difference. Now is the time to recognize and celebrate those outstanding Indigenous men who are creating positive change, uplifting others, and inspiring future generations.

Do you know an Indigenous man who is a leader, mentor, advocate, knowledge keeper, helper, or role model in your community? Someone whose actions reflect the values of respect, courage, compassion, and service?

✨ Nominate him for a 2026 Okimaw Award and help shine a light on the incredible work he is doing.

Recognition matters. When we celebrate our leaders, we honor their contributions and inspire others to continue walking a good path.
Please take a moment to submit a nomination and help us acknowledge the Indigenous men who are making a meaningful impact in our communities every day. ❤️



A simple nomination can make a lasting difference in recognizing someone who gives so much to others. ❤️

05/15/2026

The countdown is on! 🔥✨

The 2026 Okimaw Awards are coming to Edmonton City Hall on November 14, 2026, and we are already getting excited to celebrate the incredible leaders, changemakers, culture carriers, and community champions who continue to uplift our people. ❤️

Nominations officially open June 1, 2026 — so start thinking about those amazing individuals who deserve to be recognized! 👑

Big things are coming... stay tuned. 👀

05/07/2026

The 2026 Okimaw Awards are on the horizon, and we are officially seeking sponsors and community partners to help us celebrate and uplift Indigenous excellence, leadership, culture, and community. ❤️

This special day will honor individuals making meaningful impacts through advocacy, education, healing, leadership, arts, community work, and cultural revitalization.

We invite businesses, organizations, and community members to join us in supporting this powerful event through sponsorships, donations, and partnerships. Your support helps create a beautiful and meaningful gathering that recognizes and celebrates our people in a good way.

Together, we can continue uplifting our communities, honoring our stories, and celebrating the strength of Indigenous leadership.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the 2026 Okimaw Awards, please reach out for sponsorship opportunities and partnership information.

Hand to heart, thank you for supporting this vision. ✨

04/08/2026

As we begin planning our 5th Awards year, we would love to reconnect with our past recipients. If you were recognized between 2022, our inaugural year, and 2025, whether through the 7 Teachings Award or an Okimaw Award, we would be love to hear from you.

We are currently gathering testimonials and creating content to highlight past recipients and where they are today.

We invite you to submit a short video, approximately 30 seconds, sharing the year and award you received, what the recognition meant to you, and something exciting happening in your life now that connects to that moment.

Please send your video to: [email protected]

You may also submit via private message.

03/09/2026

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT for the 2026 Okimâw Awards Honoring Our Indigenous Men & Boys!!

02/18/2026

🏆 Gearing Up for the 2026 Okimaw Awards! 🏆

Hello Okimaw Community,

We hope this message finds you well! As we settle into the new year, we wanted to share some exciting news from behind the scenes: preparations for the 2026 Okimaw Awards are officially underway!

After the incredible success and energy of our previous ceremonies, we are committed to making this year’s awards the most memorable and impactful celebration yet. Our goal is to once again shine a bright light on the outstanding talent, dedication, and spirit that makes our community so special.

However, we can’t do it alone. To ensure this year’s event is as successful as—and even better than—previous years, we are reaching out to you.

We’re Looking for Support!
Creating a world-class awards ceremony takes a village. We are currently seeking two key forms of support to bring this vision to life:

1. Sponsorships & Partnerships
Are you or your business looking to support local talent and connect with the heart of the Okimaw community? We are looking for sponsors to help us cover costs, catering, awards, and production value. In return, we offer excellent visibility and recognition throughout our marketing campaigns and at the event itself. If you know a business that would be a great fit, please tag them below!

2. Volunteers & Committee Members
We are looking for passionate individuals to join our planning committee. Do you have skills in event planning, graphic design, social media, or fundraising? Or do you just have a ton of enthusiasm and a few hours to spare? We’d love to have your energy on the team.

How to Get Involved
If you or someone you know is interested in helping make the 2026 Okimaw Awards a reality, please reach out to us directly via [email protected] or comment below, and we’ll get in touch with the details.

We are so grateful for this community and can’t wait to start this journey toward another incredible celebration. Stay tuned for more updates, including nomination announcements, in the coming weeks!

Let’s make 2026 the best year yet.

Warmly,

The Okimaw Awards Team 💙

01/14/2026

Feeling truly honored to be invited this past weekend to share the story of the beginnings of the Okimaw Awards and how these prestigious awards have evolved since their conception. Grateful for the meaningful conversation with Tyler McKinney, who is producing an incredible podcast through TELUS Hive called Voices of Resilience. It was especially powerful to have one of our beautiful Elders and matriarchs, Theresa Corky Larsen Jonasson, join the conversation—her wisdom and presence made it even more special. ❤️ Hand to Heart

Janice Randhile, Founder

01/03/2026

🌟 A New Dawn, A New Year! 🌟

From our hearts to yours, the Okimaw Awards Society sends you the warmest, most joyful greetings as we step into 2026!

We enter this new year with incredible excitement, hope, and gratitude. Why? Because this is the year we come together once again to celebrate the strength, leadership, and boundless heart of our Indigenous Men.

This year, we will gather to honour the Okimaw — the chiefs, the warriors of kindness, the builders of tomorrow, the keepers of culture, and the quiet heroes who are out there every single day, doing the incredible work of lifting up our communities. Their stories are our inspiration, their dedication our guiding star.

Get ready for a year filled with celebration, unity, and powerful recognition. The 2026 Okimaw Awards Ceremony will be a testament to the resilience and brilliance that shines within our nations, and we can't wait to share this journey with you all.

So let's raise our hands in gratitude for the year behind us, and open our arms wide to the beautiful possibilities ahead. May 2026 bring you and your loved ones abundant health, deep joy, and dreams that take flight.

Here’s to an amazing year! Here’s to our men! Here’s to our communities!

With deep respect and excitement,

The Okimaw Awards Society
Honouring Leadership. Celebrating Spirit. 👏🏾

12/31/2025

11/21/2025

A Heart Full of Gratitude 🙏

Another year, another powerful and beautiful celebration of our Indigenous Men across Treaty 6, 7, and 8 has come to a close. I am filled with so much gratitude and am truly humbled by the success of this year's event.

To witness our men being uplifted, honored, and celebrated in such a profound way was an overwhelming and heartwarming experience. It is a reminder of the strength and spirit that defines our communities.

None of this would be possible without the incredible support of so many:

· To the City of Edmonton, thank you for being such amazing hosts and for your continued partnership.
· To Windspeaker, your dedication to sharing our stories and promoting this event is invaluable. Thank you for amplifying our voices.
· To Enbridge, your generous sponsorship provided the foundation that made this celebration a reality. Your commitment is deeply appreciated.
· To Western Varieties, thank you for your partnership in providing such beautiful gifts that helped honor our men with the respect they deserve.

My biggest thank you, however, is reserved for the pillars of my life and this initiative:

· To our Elders, your guidance, prayers, and unwavering knowledge light our path. Thank you for grounding us in our traditions.
· To my dedicated committee, your time, passion, and countless hours of work are the engine of this event. Your dedication leaves me speechless.
· To my husband, my parents, my friends, and my family, thank you for your constant encouragement. You are my rock, year after year.
· And last, but certainly not least, to my son. You are the inspiration for it all. Everything I do is for you and the future you represent.

Seeing the community come together to celebrate the incredible men among us is a feeling like no other. I am already feeling inspired for next year.

With a humble and grateful heart,
Naa'toh'kiayo'aakii
Janice Randhile
Founder