The Tom Longboat Awards were established in 1951 to recognize Indigenous athletes for their outstanding contributions to sport in Canada. With a few exceptions, the Awards have been given out every year since its inauguration. It remains the longest standing and one of the most prestigious awards for the Indigenous athletes in the country.
As a program of the Aboriginal Sport Circle, the Tom Longboat Awards provide a forum for acknowledging the growth and strength of the Indigenous sport movement in Canada and its tremendous impact on the sport development from community level participation to elite level competition. The awards include a men's and women's category.
For the 2025 program year, all nominations will be collected by the ASC and distributed to their respective provinces and territories for regional selection. From the pool of regional recipients, a National Selection Committee will determine the national recipients for the men's and women's category. The two national recipients will be presented their Awards at the 2025 National Indigenous Sports Gala in October 2025.
The Aboriginal Sport Circle is committed to developing sport that fosters the development of the whole individual. In addition to their athlete achievements, recipients will have demonstrated a personal commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and fair play, as well as to being a positive role model. They will also have demonstrated a commitment towards living a balanced lifestyle - one that develops their physical, mental, cultural and spiritual capacities.
The regional recipients will receive the following:
The two national recipients will receive the following:
The Awards honour the accomplishments of athletes within a given program year (May 31st, 2024, to May 31st, 2025). Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible as nominees:
Nomination information to include the following:
Nominations must include supporting narratives documenting how the nominee displays the following qualities:
2025 Tom Longboat Award Nomination Form
Please use the following link to view this year's Nomination Packages: 2025 Tom Longboat Award Nomination Package
Aboriginal Sport Circle
c/o House of Sport RA Centre
2451 Riverside Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1H 7X7
x 613-518-8353 TF 1-855-814-4574
A ascoffice@aboriginalsportcircle.ca