Playwright, novelist, and elder Maria Campbell is the recipient of the 22nd Annual Distinguished Canadian Award, presented by the Seniors University Group and the Seniors Education Centre of the University of Regina. The ceremony will take place Thurs., May 18 at 7 p.m. at the Delta Hotel in Regina.

“Maria Campbell is being honoured as an author, playwright, filmmaker and elder who continues to share her knowledge of Métis history and culture to create an understanding of the conditions faced by Métis people in this country,” says Kerrie Strathy, head of the Seniors Education Centre.

Campbell is best known for her autobiography, Halfbreed, one of the most widely taught texts in Canadian literature. Her stage play, Flight, was the first all-aboriginal theatre production in Canada. From 1985 to 1997, she founded and operated her own film and video production company where she wrote and directed seven documentaries and produced the first weekly aboriginal television series, My Partners, My People. Campbell has written several plays and children’s books, as well as Stories of the Road Allowance People, which translates traditional oral stories into print. Her community work and writing have been recognized with many honours, including the Canada Council Molson Prize for the Arts; the Gabriel Dumont Medal of Merit; a National Aboriginal Achievement Award; and honorary doctorates from the University of Regina, York University, and Athabasca University. She has also been inducted into the Saskatchewan Theatre Hall of Fame.

The Distinguished Canadian Award was established by the Seniors University Group in 1985 to recognize older adults who have made outstanding contributions to Canadian life. The award is intended to raise public awareness of the dynamic role older adults (aged 55 and over) play in society. Past recipients include T.C. Douglas, John Archer, Roy Bonisteel, Allan Blakeney, Stephen Lewis, Sylvia Fedoruk, Adrienne Clarkson, Lloyd Barber, Shirley Douglas, and Roy Romanow.

For more information, call 585-5816.