Innovation & Impact Awards

Cooperation Canada, in collaboration with the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and the trustees of the Lewis Perinbam Award, is pleased to present the Innovation & Impact Awards in Honour of Lewis Perinbam.

These awards celebrate Canadian individuals and civil society organizations (CSOs) who are advancing civic action, inclusive leadership and democratic values through transformative work.

About Lewis Pehimbam

Lewis Perinbam, O.C, (1925-2007) was a pioneer in building the international development sector in Canada. He was the founding Executive Director of CUSO, the first full time Secretary General of the Canadian National Commission of UNESCO and the CEO of WUSC.

He joined a fledgling Canadian International Development Agency in 1969 and became the founding director general of the NGO division. He later became the Vice-President of the Canadian Partnership Program where he launched several programs that made Canada a leader in civil society-government collaboration.

He led the 2000 Task Force on the Participation of Visible Minorities in the Public Service which generated deep change throughout the Government.

The awards recognize his outstanding contributions and provide a reminder and a call for action that ambitious system-wide innovation is always possible.

Nomination Process

Canadian individuals and civil society organizations (CSOs) are invited to submit nominations for this award, recognizing transformative work that advances civic action, inclusive leadership and democratic values.

Selection Criteria

Cooperation Canada defines an Innovative Practice as a new or more impactful way of addressing development challenges and improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable populations. An innovative practice can take many forms—it may be entirely new within a specific context, even if it has been successfully applied elsewhere. It can include approaches, technologies, business models, policy practices, partnerships and more. To maximize its impact, an Innovative Practice should align with the Whistler Principles to Accelerate Innovation for Development Impact.
Expectations for Award Winner
Attendance, either in person or by video, at Cooperation Canada’s International Development Week event

The winner of the individual award is given a prize of $5,000 to acknowledge their contributions
Nomination Procedures
Nominators must complete the online form to provide rationale for the nomination

Nominators must demonstrate evidence for how the nominee has fit the criteria and has implemented an innovative practice that has resulted in greater impact and/or learning

Nominations can be peer or self-nominated