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Nominate a Minnesota Arts Leader for the 2025 Peter Capell Award

Two women stand at the front of a room with a brick wall behind them. One woman, wearing a patterned dress, black jacket, and glasses, speaks at a podium with a microphone. The other, wearing a red headscarf, red sweater, and a long blue floral skirt, stands beside her gesturing. A projected image is partially visible on the wall, and audience members are blurred in the foreground.
Photo Credit: Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project
An audience discussion at a Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project event.

A one-time award of $2,500 will honor a Minnesotan who has made a significant impact on their arts community.

Arts Midwest is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship, which will recognize a leader from Minnesota’s arts community.

This one-time $2,500 award honors an individual whose work demonstrates entrepreneurial thinking and business acumen in the creative sector. Each year, it rotates among Arts Midwest’s nine member states to celebrate individuals whose vision and business acumen fuel the creative sector.

If you’ve been working in Minnesota’s creative or cultural field for at least 10 years, this award might be for you! We are seeking individuals who embody Arts Midwest’s core values of togetherness, integrity, and learning, who find innovative solutions, and foster creative partnerships to increase access to the arts.

If you know someone who fits this description (or see yourself in it!) submit a nomination by October 16, 2025. Self-nominations are welcome.

Overview

  • What is the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship?

    A one-time $2,500 award. In 2025, it will honor a creative leader in Minnesota.

  • Who can be nominated?

    Minnesotans who work in creative or cultural programming, demonstrate entrepreneurial thinking and business acumen in their role, and have at least ten years of experience in the field.

  • Where from?

    Nominees must live and/or work in Minnesota or the Native Nations sharing this geography. Your primary impact should be within that geographic region.

  • When are nominations due?

    October 16, 2025, with an awardee being announced at the end of November.

Anyone may submit a nomination, and self-nominations are allowed.

Nominations will be submitted via our grants portal, SmartSimple. First time users of SmartSimple will need to register in the category of Individuals. Get instructions here on how to register in SmartSimple.  

About the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship

Our award namesake Peter Capell served on the Arts Midwest Board of Directors for 23 years and served as Board Chair from 2012 until 2021.

During his time as Chair, he led Arts Midwest through the creation and launch of new national programs like Creating Connection; the development of Arts Midwest’s first major giving campaign; and a founder leadership transition. He is a passionate advocate for creativity and entrepreneurialism, a markedly generous philanthropist, and is deeply committed to strengthening and celebrating the Midwest creative sector.

In honor of Peter’s contributions to Arts Midwest and Midwestern creativity, the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship was established as a time-limited award, running for nine years beginning in 2022.

Past awardees include:

  • Tyrone Phillips, founding artistic director at Definition Theatre in Chicago, Illinois
  • Brenda DeVita, artistic director of American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin
  • Billy Weathers, founder and CEO of the B.WELL Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa.

Read the 2025 Application Guidelines

Learn more about the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship, eligibility requirements, and how to submit your application.

Learn More

A group of people lined up, arms and legs stretched into a yoga sun pose. They are all wearing heavy winter gear as they do yoga on a frozen lake.
Photo Credit: Art Shanty Projects

Questions about the Peter Capell Award?

If you have questions about the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship, please reach out to our team.

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