// King Family Bursary
The King Family Bursary was established by Wally and Marilyn King, through the King Endowment Fund
It was created to support special projects that promote knowledge and appreciation of the eastern shore of Georgian Bay and the North Channel, and its unique environment, history, communities, and culture.
Both Wally and Marilyn passed away in 2024, but their love of Georgian Bay and their commitment to its stewardship live on through their generous gift. We are forever grateful.
“Marilyn and I are simply delighted to see our endowment activated with this bursary and very pleased to see the additional matching donations/bursary as well. We wish the recipients good wishes and success in whatever project that is selected.”
Applications for the 2026 King Family Bursary are now closed - thank you to all who applied!
Application Deadline: February 27, 2026
Announcement of Winners: April 3, 2026
Project Completion Deadline: June 1, 2027
WHO QUALIFIES?
Any person who plans to create original work or projects about the eastern shoreline of Georgian Bay, its natural environment, culture, or history. Scientists, academics, artists, authors, musicians, writers, and others are encouraged to apply.
Learn more about bursary requirements and eligibility.
AWARD AMOUNT
$3,500
Applications for the 2026 bursary are now closed. Thank you to all who applied!
Past King Family Bursary Recipients
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2026 - Kara McIntosh & Finn O'Hara
McIntosh and O'Hara will work across the threshold of day and night, painting and photographing the same Georgian Bay spaces.
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2026 - Adam Merifield
Adam Merifield will create Portals into Precambria, a coffee-table book that presents a full photographic sweep of Georgian Bay’s eastern and northern shores.
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2025 – Peter Mills
Artist and ecologist Peter Mills published a book that combines letter-writing and original artwork to share personal reflections on the Georgian Bay ecosystem.
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2024 – Amelia Stea MacLaurin
Artist Amelia Stea MacLaurin spent four seasons visiting, painting, and photographing the waterways of Georgian Bay to create a time-capsule Waterways Zine.
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2023 – Katy McNabb
Katy McNabb produced the second series of her Rewind Design podcast, exploring sustainable cottage design on Georgian Bay through a series of interviews.
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2022 – Peter Adams
Peter Adams created a series of paintings inspired by the ecology of the Rose Island Nature Reserve, continuing his “specimen box” art project.
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2021 – Scott Parent
Scott Parent created a documentary film, chronicling a 500km paddleboard journey around Lake Huron journey with his daughter Acadia, and drawing attention to plastic pollution.
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2020 – Brennan Guse
Landscape Architecture student Brennan Guse proposed a strategy to revitalize Parry Sound’s post-industrial waterfront through environmental restoration and sustainable development.
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2019 – Jesse Matas & Kyle Scheurmann
Musician Jesse Matas and painter Kyle Scheurmann formed Art Tent, to creatively document the Georgian Bay environment through art, science, and storytelling.
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2019 – Elora Grahame
PhD student Elora Grahame conducted a study on at-risk Whip-poor-wills and Nighthawks, studying their nesting success and migration patterns.
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2018 – Sean Tamblyn
Photographer Sean Tamblyn undertook the Georgian Bay Lighthouse Survey, to document and raise awareness about Georgian Bay’s declining lighthouses.
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2018 – Kate Marshall Flaherty
Poet Kate Marshall Flaherty created three short art films, blending poetry, music, and Georgian Bay landscapes to capture the region’s unique character.
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2017 – Boshdayosgaykwe / Tracey Pawis
Ojibway/Potawatomi quill worker Boshdayosgaykwe created a photo booklet to documented her family’s tradition of quillwork, going back five generations.
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2017 – Katherine Denune
Katherine Denune conducted an assessment of invasive Phragmites from Parry Sound to Twelve Mile Bay, and produced an accessible guide to Phragmites eradication.
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2016 – Sylvia Galbraith
Sylvia Galbraith photographed rocks and water to examine the transformative forces shaping Georgian Bay’s coast, and the relationships between science, history, and art.
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2016 – Melanie Gausden
Landscape artist Mel Gausden created a series of paintings that explore memory, self, and the interaction between people and Georgian Bay.
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2015 – Kendall Flower
Kendall Flower explored alternative models for policy, governance, and conservation in the Georgian Bay Littoral Biosphere Reserve as part of her Masters of Planning project.
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2015 – Jillian McDonald
Artist Jillian McDonald created a multi-screen video portrait of Georgian Bay entitled Spirit Lake, inspired by nature’s remarkable and unexplainable forces.
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2014 – Andrea Curtis
Award-winning author Andrea Curtis wrote Big Water, a young adult novel about two teenagers surviving the 1882 S.S. Asia wreck in Georgian Bay.
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2014 – Tim Laurin
Tim Laurin, master printmaker, used old photographs and slides to create photo-based etchings exploring childhood memories and human experiences on Georgian Bay.