Oakville Youth Awards

Honouring the vibrant spirit and invaluable contributions of Oakville's youth.

2026 Youth Award nominees

Youth Artist Award nominees

Areej Abubakar
Lourdes Alomar
Arya Avinash Mosale
Jack Galloway
Ishaan Grotra
Marya Hawari
Celine Jung
Manaah Kalra
Noah King
Ocean Lee
Ariel Liu
Shixian Liu
Annie Ma
Isabella Malak
Adele Moschella
Arnav Naraharisetti
Jiyul Park
Anusheh Rahman
Elsa Ren
Cheng Sun
Ning Sun
Meicheng Wang
Carter Whatley
Aimee Xu
Zihuan (Oliver) Xu
Melody Zhang
Kelly Zihan Chen

Youth Emerging Leader Award nominees

Mariam Aboutaha
Bilal Ali Khan and Haroon Ali Khan
Ahmed Anjum
Izma Awan
Emma Barnfield
Rayhaan Charniya
Debadrito Das
Fares Elhelali
Omar Elnably
Christine Erasmus
Ahana Virmani
Aashi Malik
Bhanvi Manne
Sophie Ryan
Avaanya Garg
Krishangi Oberoi
Emaan Gauhar
Marinella Ganios
Aidan Girardo
Haoming (Gavin) Geng
Avaanya Garg
Lucas Hu
Faith Joson
Manaah Kalra
Rishi Kaul
Hargun Kaur
Arnnav Kudale
Rayyan Faisal Lodhi
Celine Liu
Betty Luo
Shrinika Malgan
Bhanvi Manne
Sunny Mei
Arielle Merritt-Murrell
Aryan Mohanty
Adele Moschella
Amelia Moschella
Marcus Moschella
Tianne Nan
Vinisha Nangia
Krishangi Oberoi
Dwait Pandhi
Antonia Romero Ramirez
Sophie Ryan
Sarvesh Sathish Kumar
Diyanka Senavirathne
Hannan Sohail
Raya Tailor
Teresa Tong
Valentina Urdaneta Garaban
Ahana Virmani
Sarina Wu
Yanina Xie
Jay Xu
Qianqian (Rachel) Xue
Elly Zhang

Youth Environment Award nominees

Ahmed Anjum
Leo Yu Cheng
Ryan Henderson
Caleb Jiwani
Steven Li
Bonnie Luo
Isabella Malak
Aryan Mohanty
Cheng Sun
Nichole Miriam Vijayan

Youth Involvement Award nominees

Mariam Aboutaha
Kelly Antonaras
Charlotte Andaloro
Aisha Afshar
Ahmed Anjum
William Baker
Colin Chan
Leah Chow
Eason Chen
Joshan Chopra
Debadrito Das
Ibrahim Darwish
Fares Elhelali
Farida Elmansoury
Emaan Gauhar
Anjali Grewal
Ishaan Grotra
Lucas Hu
Daniel Jacob
Seamus Kealy
Arjun Kulkarni
Manaah Kalra
Annie Li
Joy Li
Tony Li
Daniel Lu
Mustafa Lodhi
Rachel Liu
Samhita Pallapothu
Jiayi Peng
Rehan Mithani
Amelia Moschella
Marcus Moschella
Vinisha Nangia
Cindy Lin
Michael Yan
Rida Salimi
Alex Sun
Hongze (Alvin) Shan
Diyanka Senavirathne
Dea Skendaj
Aikana Tao
Ariana Russell
Ahana Virmani
Ansh Virmani
Annie Xu
Yuqiao (Joyce) Chu
Darwin Zhang
Elly Zhang

Youth Sports Award nominees

Isabella Aldini
Noah Guillermo Avecillas
Zeyuan (Joshua) Chu
Zili Dang
Ryan Gantakolla
Haoming (Gavin) Geng
Mila Iarossi
Jeffery Jiang
Aikam Kainth
Seamus Kealy
Katherine Kerwin
Serenity Le
Jessica Lee
Joshua Malak
Sophie Makrygiannis
Lily Rochon
Diyanka Senavirathne
Hongze (Alvin) Shan
Sophie Zhou
Beulah Votu-Obada
Aaron Wang
Caleb Zhang
Jessie Xu

Youth STEM Award nominees

Imran Allarakhia
Aarav Bhargava
Anthony Efthimiadis
Saanvi Ganesh
Arnnav Kudale
Aryan Mohanty
Marcus Moschella
Dwait Pandhi
Maria Polyanska
Arish Shahab
Hongze (Alvin) Shan
Darren Su
Raya Tailor
Vihaan Vashishtha
Ansh Virmani
Eric Wang
Sophie Zhou

About the Oakville Youth Awards

Award category descriptions

Youth Artist Award

Recognizes youth who demonstrate a passion for the arts, whether through music, theatre, or other cultural talents, and who positively represent and dedicate their talents to raising awareness of arts and culture among the youth community.

Youth Emerging Leader Award

Recognizes youth who positively influence their peers, demonstrate leadership qualities, and make a positive impact as role models through motivation and mentoring, while showing a true passion for helping others.

Youth Environment Award

Recognizes youth who demonstrate a passion for environmental stewardship and sustainability through active participation in community initiatives that protect, preserve, and support the environment, and contribute to a greener future through innovative solutions, advocacy, and sustainable education.

Youth Involvement Award

Recognizes youth who dedicate their time and efforts to local organizations or events, actively engaging in their community through volunteerism, employment, participation, and demonstrating a passion for helping others.

Youth Sport Award

Recognizes youth who demonstrate a passion for sports and portray a positive image through their participation, volunteerism, or coaching within their chosen sport.

Youth STEM Award

Recognizes youth who demonstrate a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through innovation, creativity, and critical thinking, inspiring others and advancing STEM in the community through mentorship and knowledge-sharing.

Selection process and criteria

Two nominees are awarded in each category, one for ages 11 to 14 and the other for those between 15 and 19.

Nominees should contribute to the Town of Oakville’s vision of being a vibrant and livable community for all and demonstrate at least one of the values of the town (leadership, inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, sustainability, excellence and quality of life).

A selection committee made up of OYAC members will review each nomination and select the recipients. The selection committee reserves the right to move a nomination to a more appropriate category, if necessary. All decisions made by the selection committee are final.

Youth Awards Night

The Youth Awards Night takes place on Thursday, May 7 at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. Expect a high energy evening with live entertainment, walk up music, and more, hosted by the Oakville Youth Action Committee (OYAC).

Lobby doors open: 6 p.m. (paid concession available)

VIP reception for nominees

The VIP reception is for nominees only and will take place in the Studio Theatre at the Oakville Centre before the ceremony. A ticket for the reception is required. Tickets can be reserved using the link emailed to nominees.

Nominees will be directed to the Studio Theatre upon arrival
Light refreshments will be served
Guests of nominees are welcome to wait in the main lobby until theatre doors open

Ceremony

Guests are welcome to attend the ceremony in the theatre to celebrate the award nominees. Seating is general admission. Nominees will return to the theatre for the presentation so please save them a seat!

Theatre doors open: 6:40-6:45 p.m.
Ceremony begins: 7 p.m. (seating is limited, please arrive early)
Duration: The awards presentation will run 60 to 90 minutes. Guests are encouraged to stay for the full ceremony to support all nominees.

Outside food and drinks are not permitted in the theatre.

The event will be live streamed beginning at 6:30 p.m. A recording will be posted on the Town’s YouTube channel after the event.

Watch the 2026 Youth Awards live stream

Nominees and winner recognition

All nominees receive a certificate
The top three nominees in each category will be welcomed on stage
Two winners (one per age group per category) will receive a special award on stage
A post event news release highlighting award recipients will be shared on the Town’s website and with local media

Dress code

This year’s event features a red carpet theme. Feel free to dress up, but business casual is perfectly fine. Wear whatever makes you feel confident and comfortable.

Photography

A photographer will be onsite
Personal photos and videos are welcome from your seat. Please avoid flash photography. Professional photos will be shared after the event..

Accessibility

The Oakville Centre has accessibility limitations due to its age and design and does not have an elevator.

For accessibility needs, please contact the Box Office at 905-815-2021.

Parking

The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (130 Navy Street) is surrounded by public parking lots and street parking within walking distance.

Parking is free after 6 p.m. Please allow extra time to find parking during busy events. The venue is also accessible by public transit.