CPAC Professional Achievement Award (PAA)

The CPAC PAA was established in 2009 to recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of immigrant professionals who have attained outstanding success and prominent status in recognized professions. The award also aims to provide role models for other immigrants to emulate. Past PAA recipients include exceptional individuals such as RosalieTung (scholar), Kelvin Tran (executive) and Judith Yan (artist).

A Candidate for the award must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Chinese descent who is an immigrant to Canada; and
• be a recognized leader in their profession or in a professional field outside their occupation (e.g., a celebrated author whose occupation is engineering)

A candidate’s community service and contributions are an influencing factor.

Nominations are encouraged from individuals across all professions and all regions of Canada.

Download the 2027 PAA nomination package here.

CPAC Young Achiever Award (YAA)

The YAA celebrates the accomplishments of an outstanding young individual aged 30 or younger. This award honours achievements in professional or business pursuits, academic or technological innovation, social entrepreneurship, and community leadership.

To be eligible, the nominee must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada; and
• be 30 or younger as of December 15, 2026.

Eligible accomplishments for consideration include but are not limited to:

• Professional or business successes
• Academic or technological discoveries, innovations or contributions
• Social entrepreneurship
• Community and/or social leadership

Please note: The nominee’s main activities/accomplishments must have occurred or been sustained within the two years preceding the nomination deadline.

Download the 2027 YAA nomination package here.

Selection and Presentation

All nominations will be reviewed by the Award Selection Committee, which will make the final selection in consultation with experts in the nominees’ respective fields.

The winning candidate will be notified by late January 2027. Nomination materials of other candidates will be kept for consideration for another year.

The award will be presented at the 2027 CPAC Annual Gala, on Saturday, March 6, 2027, at the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre, together with the Professional Achievement Awards (PAA). An introductory video of the recipient will be presented at the event, followed by the award presentation and an acceptance speech by the awardee.  The selection result and award presentation ceremony will be announced to the public.