The Newfoundland Drag Awards (NDAs)

Nominations will be accepted beginning 8AM Friday, January 30, 2026 until Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 11:59pm NT.

Anyone can nominate a drag artist or a drag artist could self-nominate. Drag artists can be nominated in 1 of 2 ways:

Nominated artists will be contacted to submit one piece of photo or video evidence of a recent performance, appearance, or outfit that best represents their category. If they are nominated for multiple categories, they will have a chance to submit separate photo or video evidence for each category they are nominated for.

Google Drive folder links will be sent to artists on instagram by Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Artists will have until Sunday, February 22, 2026 to submit evidence.

The Drag Advisory Committee, consisting of nine local drag artists from Newfoundland and Labrador, will shortlist nominees in each category. Shortlisted candidates will be made available by March 1, 2026. The committee will shortlist nominees based on the following criteria:

• How strongly does the nominee’s work align with the intent and definition of the award category?
• The overall quality, polish, and intentionality of the nominee’s drag work.
• The nominee’s contribution to drag culture in Newfoundland and Labrador during 2025.

To ensure fairness:

• Committee members must recuse themselves from scoring categories where they are nominated.
• Personal popularity, social media following, or ticket sales must not be considered during shortlisting.
• Scores are based only on submitted evidence and verifiable 2025 activity.

Members of the public can vote online in the lead-up to the event. The public vote will open on March 2, 2026.

At the NDAs, award presenters will announce the top 3 nominees in each category and then announce the winner. Voting ends on March 13, 2026 at 11:59pm NT.

Please note: due to concerns with upholding voter integrity and lower than anticipated ticket sales, live audience voting will no longer be available on the day of the event.

The NDAs will take place at The RockHouse on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 10PM (free pre-show at 9:00PM).

Yes! If you have been a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador for the majority of 2025, you are eligible.

Yes, but they will not participate in shortlist discussions for categories they are nominated in.

Drag is Art is an organization dedicated to uplifting Newfoundland’s 2SLGBTQIA+ drag artists through performances, workshops, and community initiatives.

Yes! Check out ArtsNL’s travel grant application on their website to see if you qualify for the Professional Artists’ Travel Fund.

Drag artists at any stage of their career are eligible to apply.

Due to venue requirements, drag artists must be 19 years of age at the date of the Newfoundland Drag Awards to be admitted into the venue.

Yes! You can nominate yourself (if you’re a local drag performer) or you can nominate someone else.

Yes! You can be nominated for multiple award categories.

Yes you can be nominated multiple times (by yourself or others). Drag Advisory Committee members will be evaluating submissions based on a number of factors, including how often you were nominated in a category.

An artist can be shortlisted for up to 3 award categories. They can win up to 2 award categories. If an artist wins 3 award categories (first, second, or third), Drag is Art will award the 2 highest categories and disqualify them from their lowest category.

This approach ensures that there are as many opportunities as possible for community members to win.

If you have questions, please email us at opportunities@dragis.art.