- 2012 - Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award
- 2011 - CBC Bookie for Best Character for Motorcycles and Sweetgrass
- 2010 - Ontario Premier’s Award for Creative Arts and Design
- 2010 - Shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award in Fiction, Motorcycles and Sweetgrass
- 2009 - Victoria Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement in Theatre
- 2009 - Nominations for Gemini Awards in several categories, including Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Actor for a MOW for In A World Created By A Drunken God
- 2009 - Shortlisted for the Stellar Book Award for 2009-2010 in the Teen Readers’ Choice Award category for The Night Wanderer
- 2009 - Nominee for the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Award for The Night Wanderer
- 2008 - Winner and Nominee at the American Indian Film Festival – Best Actor (winner), Best Film (nominated) and Best Director (nominated) for movie In A World Created By A Drunken God
- 2008 - Shortlisted for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award for The Night Wanderer
- 2008 - Shortlisted for Playwriting for the Simonovitch Award
- 2008 - Shortlisted for the Sunburst Award in the Young Adult Category for The Night Wanderer
- 2008 - Finalist for the Arthur Ellis Awards (Crime Writers of Canada) in the Juvenile Category for The Night Wanderer
- 2008 - Honourable mention in Foreward Magazine Book of the Year in Juvenile category for The Night Wanderer
- 2008 - Gold Award Independent Publisher Book Awards in the Juvenile/Young Adult fiction category for The Night Wanderer
- 2008 - First Americans in the Arts Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literary Works for Me Funny
- 2007 - Nominated for the Rand McNally Best Aboriginal Book of the Year and Best Children’s Book for The Night Wanderer
- 2006 - Nominated for the Governor General’s Award for Best Play for In a World Created by a Drunken God
- 2000 - British Columbia Millenium Award – One of the best books published in the Province of British Columbia for Furious Adventures of a Blue-Eyed Ojibway. Only out of province author to be honoured.
- 1999 - Second Place Award for Best Live Short Subject at the American Indian Film Institute Awards for "The Strange Case of Bunny Weequod"
- 1997 - First Prize ($500) Native Playwrights Award from the University of Alaska, Anchorage for Pranks (now titled alterNatives)
- 1997 - James Buller Award from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre for Best Playwright
- 1996 - Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play (Small Theatre Division) for Only Drunks and Children Tell The Truth
- 1996 - First prize ($500) Native Playwrights Award, sponsored by the University of Alaska, Anchorage for Baby Blues
- 1996 - Nominated for the Chalmer’s Award for Best Play for Young Audiences for Girl Who Loved Her Horses
- 1992 - Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Best Drama ($5,000) for The Bootlegger Blues
- 1992 - First Prize ($10,000) Chalmer's Award for Best Play for Young Audiences for Toronto At Dreamer’s Rock
Nice Things People Have Said
“Drew Hayden Taylor is one of those dangerous writers who knows the potential of humour, and how far it can reach into society, how deep it can cut, how quickly it can heal.”
“Taylor never lets his characters indulge in speech making; self-reverential jokes, apologies and good manners always get in the way, much to the audience’s delight. And yet, the author never shirks form the difficult issues of culture, identity and acceptance that drive the play…”
“Drew Hayden Taylor has a deft touch for mixing comedy and commentary in an entertaining and all-Canadian form of social satire.”
“Taylor has plenty of fun crashing conflicted figures into one another, and his way with a one-liner and sharp eye for absurdity keep the laughs coming.”
“Playwright Drew Hayden Taylor has been referred to as ‘the Native American Neil Simon.’ It’s easy to see why…” Los Angeles Times “What makes Taylor’s play work so well is the way it carefully treads the line between reverence and self-depreciation, idealism and practicality… but there’s a serous message under the play’s jokey surface.”
A Statement by the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages on the Awarding of the 2009 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Awards
OTTAWA, November 5, 2009 – Canada’s professional artists devote a lifetime to developing their expertise, refining their crafts, and promoting their art. Thanks to the energy and dedication of our creative sector, Canadians have access to a wide array of artistic and cultural works that reflect our diverse heritage. Our Government recognizes how hard artists work and how much they contribute to our society and our economy. We are pleased to provide support for them through the programs of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, and many other federal organizations.
Each year the Canada Council for the Arts awards the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Awards to outstanding professional Canadian artists who are in mid-career. These awards pay tribute to outstanding work done in the areas of dance, integrated arts, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, writing and publishing-disciplines funded by the Council.
On behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada, I want to congratulate this year’s award recipients-choreographer Tammy Forsythe; collaborative duo 2boys.tv, composed of Stephen Lawson and Aaron Pollard; filmmaker Jackson 2bears; saxophonist and composer Kirk MacDonald; playwright Drew Hayden Taylor; visual artist Adad Hannah; and author André Girard-and to thank them for their contribution to the vitality of Canadian arts and culture.