This year's finalists announced for the Mayor's Celebration of the Arts Awards in Sudbury

It's the fifth year for the Mayor's Celebration of the Arts awardswhich feature three categories, Emerging Artist, Mid-Career Artist and Exceptional Achievement in the Arts. Nine people have been nominated.

Dan Bedard has been nominated for Exceptional Achievement in the Arts which ispresented to a professional artist for contributions spanning more than 25 years.

Bedard's main area of work is in sound design for film and theatre and multi-media installations for Science North.

"I'm just proud to still be doing this,"said Bedard, who's been working in the industry for some 40 years.

"When I started off in this business, it was like are you crazy get a real job, that kind of thing and I was told constantly that if you want to make it in this kind of business you will have to move away."

Paul Loewenberg is a presenter of music at the Townehouse Tavern and instructor of music history at Cambrian College. He's also been nominated for the Exceptional Achievement award.

"It is a wonderful thrill," says Leowenberg, who says he got his start in community radio.

"First thing I did when I moved here in '89 was sign up for my courses at the university, then walked across the parking lot to the old portable to CFLR and said, how can I help?"

Edouard Landry is a local musicianand artist, He is nominated in the Outstanding Mid-Career category.

"It is quite special to be nominated by your peers," said Landry, who just recently complete his third album.

"You write these songs in your basement and it really is magical to bring it to other people and see how they transform it and then once it is out there to see how people react."

There will also be a special award that night honouring the achievements of musician Iona Reed-Pukara by the Sudbury Arts Council.

Nominees for the Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist:

• Alessandro Costantini (actor/producer/director)
• Danielle Daniel (author/artist)
• Max Merrifield (peformer/promoter)

Nominees for the Award for Outstanding Mid-Career Artist (more than 10 years of experience)

• Edouard Landry (musician)
• Kim Fahner (poet)
• Miriam Cusson (director/actor/playwright)

Nominees for the Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Arts (career spanning more than 25 years)

• Dan Bedard (musician/composer/sound designer)
• Denise Truax (publisher)
• Paul Loewenberg (musician/promoter)

The event is a project of the Sudbury Arts Council in collaboration with Regroupement des organismes culturels de Sudbury.

In addition to the honour of being recognized by their peers, the artists will be awarded cash bursaries to assist their continued pursuit of their creative projects.