The Viola Awards are Flagstaff’s Oscars for the arts and sciences community. Celebrating excellence in the arts and sciences, the Viola Awards recognize artists, educators, organizations and leaders who make positive contributions to the arts and sciences in Flagstaff. Over 500 people attend the gala event to celebrate and support these amazing folks.

Nominations are sent to Flagstaff Arts Council by the community at large; anyone can nominate an artist, leader, organization, business or event for an award in one of eleven categories. From this pool of nominees, a Panel of past Viola Award winners and experts in the field select nominees in each category to be the Official Viola Award Nominees. The Panel then meets to determine the winner in each category. The Viola Award winners are announced each year at the Viola Awards Gala Event.