ABOUT THE AWARDS

The CreativeOhio Champion (CO-Champion) Advocacy Awards honor Ohioans that enrich their community, citizens, and culture through constant advocacy and relentless support of creatives, with a rotating regional focus.

Each year, we celebrate the winners at a CreativeOhio Champion Awards Luncheon held in a different area of our state.

ARTS EDUCATOR CHAMPION

The CreativeOhio Arts Educator Champion award was created to honor an Ohioan who has demonstrated exemplary effort and made a significant impact in arts education.

INDIVIDUAL ADVOCATE CHAMPION

The CreativeOhio Individual Advocate award was created to honor an advocate that has demonstrated exemplary effort and made a significant impact in the arts and creative sector.

ARTIST CHAMPION

The CreativeOhio Artist Champion award was created to honor an artist who has demonstrated exemplary effort and made a significant impact in the arts and creative sector.

BUSINESS ADVOCATE CHAMPION

The CreativeOhio Business Advocate Champion award was created to honor a business that has demonstrated exemplary effort and made a significant impact in the arts and creative sector.

Past co-Champion Award Winners

The CreativeOhio Champion (CO-Champion) Awards were launched in 2023 as part of a celebration of the migration of Ohio Citizens for the Arts to CreativeOhio. Prior to that, an award was given annually to an individual or group who has made significant impact on Ohio through their advocacy. The award started in 2014 as the William R. Joseph Advocacy Medal, honoring the lifelong advocacy work of Ohio Citizens for the Arts co-founder, William R. Joseph.

 

William r joseph advocacy Medal

The Crane Family | 2022
Tom Katzenmeyer | 2021
Frances Buchholzer | 2019
Sara Jane DeHoff | 2018
Karen Waldbillig Kasich | 2017
Geraldine “Ginger” Warner | 2016
Tom Schorgl | 2015
William P. Blair (Co-founder, Ohio Citizens for the Arts) | 2014