Nominations

Honorary Degree Nomination Process

Every year at Spring Convocation, OCAD University confers honorary doctoral degrees upon outstanding individuals who embody the ideals of the University and have made significant contributions to the fields of art, design and culture. This is the highest honour given by OCAD U.

All members of the OCAD U community, including students, faculty, staff and alums, are invited to submit a nomination during the nomination period. Nominations are submitted to the Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Provost via an online form.

For more information on eligibility criteria and the nomination process please see the OCAD University Honorary Degree Policy.

2026/2027

Nominations are now being accepted for honorary doctoral degree recipients at the Spring 2027 convocation. Full eligibility criteria and information on the nomination process may be found in the OCAD University Honorary Degree Policy.

To submit a nomination, please complete the online form below.

Nomination Form: OCAD U Honorary Degree Nomination Form 2026/2027

Deadline: Nominations must be submitted by 5:00 pm EDT on Friday, October 16, 2026.

 

Questions? Please contact David Wagschal, Quality Assurance Officer & Associate Senate Secretary dwagschal@ocadu.ca.

Honorary Doctorate Recipients of OCAD University

Will Alsop (2004)

Jeannette Armstrong (2019)

Margaret E. Atwood (2009)

Salah Bachir (2017)

James K. Bartleman (2008)

Iain Baxter& (2014)

Jeanne Beker (2018)

Christi Belcourt (2025)

Rebecca Belmore (2005)

John Bianchini (2025)

Barry Blitt (2019)

Shary Boyle (2021)

Harriet Burdett-Moulton (2017)

George Butterfield (2007)

Bill Buxton (2007)

Peter Caldwell (2011)

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller (2024)

Adrienne Clarkson (2006)

Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge (2010)

Douglas Coupland (2013)

David Cronenberg (2018)

Ruth Cuthand (2021)

Rita Davies (2026)

Catherine (Kiki) Delaney (2012)

Daniel L. Donovan (2009)

Elizabeth Dowdeswell (2020)

Rosalie Favell (2022)

Michael Fukushima (2022)

Claude Gidman (2008)

Joshua Greer (2026)

Piers Handling (2011)

Siamak Hariri (2024)

Jamelie Hassan (2018)

Kat Holmes (2023)

Nalo Hopkinson (2021)

Robert Houle (2023)

Ellis Jacob (2021)

Alex Janvier (2016)

Burton Kramer (2003)

Nobuo Kubota (2011)

Anita Kunz (2010)

Annie Koyama (2022)

Monte Kwinter (2003)

Philip B. Lind (2023)

Jim Logan (2020)

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (2025)

Julien Christian Lutz (2020)

Michael Massie (2024)

Judy Matthews (2022)

Nancy McCain (2023)

Kent Monkman (2017)

Kenneth Montague (2016)

Shelley Niro (2019)

Daphne Odjig (2008)

Charles S. Pachter (2009)

Ash Prakash (2026)

Margaret Priest (2015)

Andrew Pringle (2024)

Karim Rashid (2006)

Duke Redbird (2013)

William Reichman (2018)

Patricia Rozema (2019)

Rosemary Sadlier (2023)

Buffy Sainte-Marie (2010)

John L. Semple (2020)

Ron Shuebrook (2005)

Ada Slaight (2017)

Lisa Steele (2003)

Tanya Talaga (2026)

Zainub Verjee (2021)

Norman Triplett White (2022)

Tim Whiten (2025)

Winsom Winsom (2015)

Honorary Fellows Of The Ontario College of Art & Design

Ivan Albright (1980)

Teresa Altiman (1986)

Louis Applebaum (1981)

Franklin Arbuckle (1989)

Douglas Ball (2001)

Ken Bell (1990)

Lois Etherington Betteridge (1992)

George and Patty Boake (1996)

Jean Sutherland Boggs (1991)

Eleanor Brydone (1989)

Dorothy Burnham (1988)

Jack Bush (1976)

Douglas J. Cardinal (1990)

J. Casson (1973)

Joan Chalmers (1982)

Olivia Chow (1999)

Alan Caswell Collier (1988)

Alex Colville (1978)

Charles Fraser Comfort (1974)

Dora de Pédery Hunt (1982)

Michael de Pencier (1993)

Atom Egoyan (1999)

Paul Duncan Fleck (1986)

Allan R. Fleming (1973)

Frederick Ernest Fletcher (1975)

Dr. Ursula Franklin (1995)

Eric Freifeld (1983)

Vera Frenkel (2002)

Robert Fulford (1998)

Arthur Gelber (1997)

Charles Goldhamer (1984)

Betty Goodwin (1993)

Helen Francis Gregor (1987)

Michael Harmes (1996)

Peter Herrndorf (2001)

Ydessa Hendeles (1998)

James Hill (2002)

Tom Hill (1998)

Elizabeth M. Bradford Holbrook (1996)

Dorothy Hoover (1975)

Yvonne McKague Housser (1981)

Cleeve Horne (1984)

James Houston (1974)

Vello Hubel (1995)

Avrom Isaacs (1985)

Norman Jewison (1982)

Jean Johnson (2000)

Nancy Joy (1984)

Garry Neill Kennedy (1993)

Olga Korper (2001)

Kay Kritzwiser (1989)

Jan Kuypers (1991)

Carmen Lamanna (1988)

Phyllis Lambert (2002)

Murray Bernard Laufer (1977)

Jean-Paul Lemieux (1977)

Bruce Mau (1999)

Marion B. MacRae (1987)

Doris Jean McCarthy (1990)

Donald Walker McGibbon (1980)

Duncan Ian MacPherson (1974)

Isabel McLaughlin (1977)

Robert McMichael (1979)

Signe McMichael (1979)

Deepa Mehta (2000)

Tanya Moiseiwitsch (1979)

Lorraine Monk (1980)

Kazuo Nakamura (2000)

Edgar Noffke (1983)

Alanis Obomsawin (1994)

Murray Oliver (1992)

Carlos Ott (1994)

Harley Parker (1984)

Nancy Paul (1995)

Walter Pitman (1991)

Clifford C. Pitt (1981)

Nancy Geddes Poole (1980)

Christopher Pratt (1990)

Mary Pratt (1990)

Dennis Reid (2000)

Donald S. Rickerd (1981)

Terence Ryan (1995)

Kenneth Charles Saltmarche (1981)

Carl Fellman Schaefer (1976)

Rosalie Sharp (1994)

Michael Snow (1983)

David L. Stevenson (1985)

Claire Stewart (1979)

Paul Szep (1975)

Nora E. Vaughan (1973)

Sydney Hollinger Watson (1976)

Don Watt (1982)

Joyce Wieland (1992)

Richard Williams (1976)

Earl Wilson (1988)

William J. Withrow (1987)

Eberhard H. Zeidler (1992)

Joyce Zemans (1997)