The Ontario School Counsellors’ Association has a long standing tradition (over 40 years) of recognizing and awarding those who stand out in the field of Guidance and Career Education. OSCA recognizes individuals and/or organizations that have made a significant contribution to Guidance and Career Education in Ontario. We can say with confidence that our past award winners have helped thousands find their pathways to successful futures!

OSCA’s awards are an excellent way of recognizing your most dedicated peers in the following categories:

• Curriculum and Resources
  • The Elmer Huff Award for Guidance and Career Education Resources – presented in recognition of outstanding contribution to the career development of young people through the creation, development and delivery of high quality Guidance and Career Education Resources.

• Counsellor Professional Development
  • The Russ Seltzer Award for Contribution to Counsellor Education in Ontario – presented to honour contribution to Counsellor Education in Ontario, including teaching Guidance and Career Education Additional Qualification courses.
  • The Howard R. Beattie Award for Contribution to Counsellor Professional Development – presented to a counsellor who has created new and beneficial ideas and techniques for professional use and communicated these through such means as workshops, local leadership and the organization of a conference or guidance professional development activities.   

• Elementary Guidance
  • The Marion Axford for Elementary Guidance – presented in recognition of outstanding contribution to elementary guidance in Ontario.

• Peer Helping
  • The Daryl L. Cook Peer Helping Award – presented to one elementary and/or one secondary school in Ontario in recognition of its exemplary peer helping program.

• Contribution to Guidance and Career Education
  • The Career/LifeSkills Resources Award for Excellence in Career Education – presented in recognition of outstanding contribution to career development. This award is presented by Career/Lifeskills Resources (www.career-lifeskills.com).  
  • The Certificate of Appreciation – presented in recognition of outstanding contribution to Guidance and Career Education in Ontario by individuals/groups who are community partners.
  • The Olive Diefenbaker Award of Merit – recognizes retiring individuals who have made a contribution to the Counselling and Guidance Profession in Ontario.
  • The Phil Hedges Award –  presented to recognize the contributions to Guidance and Career Education by dedicated counsellors in the Province of Ontario.  An award will be given to one qualifying nominee from each of the six educational regions in the province, or up to a maximum of six qualifying nominees from across the province.  **Please refer to http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/offices.html to determine which region each school board is included in.
  • The Morgan D. Parmenter Memorial Award – presented to recognizes a person who has made a most significant contribution to Guidance and Career Education in Ontario.

OSCA’s Awards Policy

The Ontario School Counsellors’ Association annual awards are designed to recognize exceptional individuals who are both OSCA subscribers and non-subscribers.  In every case, to honour the integrity of our awards traditions, we can only accept nominations and supporting evidence from our active subscribers. It is the responsibility of OSCA’s Governance Committee to administer our awards policy and procedures.  

Awards Requiring the Recipient to Have an OSCA Subscription

Nominations for the following awards can only be for OSCA subscribers in good standing:

• The Elmer Huff Award for Guidance and Career Education Resources
• The Russ Seltzer Award for Contribution to Counsellor Education in Ontario
• The Howard R. Beattie Award for Contribution to Counsellor Professional Development
• The Marion Axford Award for Elementary Guidance
• The Career/Lifeskills Resources Award for Excellence in Career Education
• The Phil Hedges Award
• The Morgan D. Parmenter Award

Awards Not Requiring the Recipient to Have an OSCA Subscription

Nominations for the following awards are not exclusive to OSCA subscribers:

• The Certificate of Appreciation
• The Daryl L. Cook Peer Helping Award
• The Olive Diefenbaker Award of Merit

Nomination Process

1. To nominate a candidate, simply click on the link. The nominator MUST be a current OSCA member.  It is important that the supporting evidence for the nomination reflect the specific criteria for the award.
2. It is understood that members of the OSCA executive and board may not be nominated for the Morgan D. Parmenter Memorial Award during the time they hold office.
3. Nomination forms are only available online using OSCA’s awards nomination process.  

Nomination Deadline

• Please see the nomination form, the website, and the newsletter for the strict deadline.