The Saidye Bronfman Award is Canada's foremost distinction for excellence in the fine crafts. Instituted in 1977 by the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation to honour the 80^th birthday of Saidye Bronfman, O.B.E., a long-time supporter of the arts, the Award provides leadership in recognizing and honouring the high levels of excellence achieved by Canadian craft artists. The $25,000 annual award is one of the largest individual arts prizes in Canada. In addition to the cash prize, works by the recipient are acquired by the Canadian Museum of Civilization for its permanent collection.

The Saidye Bronfman Award recognizes the excellence of the work of an individual who has also made a significant contribution to the development of the fine crafts in Canada. The peer assessment committee which adjudicates the Award considers all aspects of aesthetics, including creativity, innovation and technical mastery, as well as the nominee's contribution to the development of the fine crafts in Canada over a significant period of time. The nomination and adjudication processes are administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Among the previous recipients are Toronto furniture designer Peter Fleming, master bookbinder Louise Genest of Montreal; the late Bill Reid, a Haida goldsmith and woodcarver from British Columbia; and the 2001 laureate, ceramic artist Léopold L. Foulem, who works in both Montreal and Caraquet, New Brunswick. The active participation of these artists in the Canadian and international fine crafts communities through exhibiting, teaching and writing has inspired a new generation of craftspeople. Drawing freely upon this country's cultural resources, Award recipients have blended and adapted established traditions to their own Canadian experience.

The Saidye Bronfman Award is presented by The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, in association with the Canada Council for the Arts and the Canadian Museum of Civilization.