The Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier strives to define itself through the quality of its services, programs and exhibitions. The following awards corroborate the relevance of promoting ingenuity as a source of inspiration and creativity.
Awards
2023
- A prize for an exhibition featuring 12 young Canadian inventors!
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The Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier is proud to announce that its exhibition Teens: Creative Minds has been awarded the Prix Excellence SMQ by the Société des musées du Québec, in category 3, i.e. a project with a budget of $250,000 to $750,000.
100 years ago, in Valcourt, Quebec, Joseph-Armand Bombardier achieved a feat that would change the course of his life. At the age of 15, his creativity led him to design his first snow vehicle. A prolific inventor, he was clearly not the only teenager to innovate so early!
In this exhibition, explore the brains of young people and discover the source of their desire to create. Meet dozens of Canadian teens who, over the past 100 years, have taken the path of innovation to improve their world!
The jury was seduced by this travelling exhibition, which targets a period we’ve all been through, and during which creativity is in full swing: adolescence. The result of various institutional and interdisciplinary collaborations, this project stood out for its originality in both form and content. Whether with the museum team, the associated scientists, the young inventors or even their families, it’s fair to say that this project was carried out in an inspiring spirit of mutual support.
- An award for the historic podcast about the inventor of the Ski-Doo
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The Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier is proud to announce that it has been awarded the Prix Robert-Garon 2023 by the Association des Archivistes du Québec for its podcast project: Joseph-Armand Bombardier, au-delà de l’inventeur. The purpose of this award is to recognize the exceptional work and achievements of public and private organizations that contribute to the development of archival science and records management.
The jury selected this very fine audio production project featuring an inventor who has become a key figure in our national identity. Four episodes present the man beyond his invention. Imbued with audio archive documents, historical facts and testimonials from historian Jean-François Nadeau, archivist and co-director of the Musée Raphaël Bourgeois and members of the Bombardier family, these audio stories create an atmosphere that is both intimate and engaging, revealing and informative.
Plunging into the heart of 20th-century rural Quebec, discover the story of Joseph-Armand Bombardier, exploring his life, his inventions, their international export and the impact they had on his community. Learn more about the ingenious garage owner from Valcourt, in the Eastern Townships, who became a world-renowned entrepreneur.
Listen to this fascinating podcast, a series of 4 episodes of around 15 minutes each, available on the Museum’s website and on all your favorite listening platforms.
2022
- SMQ 2022 - Excellence, category 5
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The Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier is proud to announce that its podcast Joseph-Armand Bombardier, au-delà de l’inventeur (Joseph-Armand Bombardier, beyond the inventor) has been awarded the Prix Excellence by the Société des musées du Québec in category 5, i.e. a project with a budget of $75,000 or less.
The jury selected this very fine audio production project featuring an inventor who has become a key figure in our national identity. Four episodes present the man beyond his invention. Imbued with audio archive documents, historical facts and testimonials from historian Jean-François Nadeau, archivist Raphaël Bourgeois and members of the Bombardier family, these audio stories create an atmosphere that is both intimate and engaging, revealing and informative. A symbiosis is created between the listener and the actors and events in the story.
Plunging into the heart of 20th-century rural Quebec, discover the story of Joseph-Armand Bombardier by exploring his life, his inventions, their international export and the impact they had on his community. Learn more about the ingenious garage owner from Valcourt, in the Eastern Townships, who became a world-renowned entrepreneur.
Listen to this fascinating podcast, a series of 4 episodes of around 15 minutes each, available on the Museum’s website and on all your favorite listening platforms.
2018
- Tourism Excellence Award
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The Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier is proud to be the recipient of the Prix excellence tourisme Initiative en innovation et développement de l’offre – Prix SATQ. This annual award recognizes the development or improvement of a product or service that enhances and makes unique the customer experience, and raises the profile of the destination.
The Museum received this award for its current temporary exhibition Inspiring NATURE, Inspired TECHNO: Biomimicry & transport. This exhibition presents an innovative theme: biomimicry. Completely created in the Eastern Townships and premiered in Valcourt until next May, this popular science project for the general public will tour Canada in 2019, a first for the Museum. The project’s development was an opportunity to pool local expertise and know-how in museology, as well as to showcase the knowledge already present in our local universities and businesses. The exhibition brings together natural specimens and technological innovations. It allows us to reflect on the world we live in today, and the world we hope to live in tomorrow. The exhibition was made possible in part by the Government of Canada’s Museums Assistance Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and with financial support from the Fondation J. Armand Bombardier.
According to Carol Pauzé, Museum Director, “Receiving an Excellence in Tourism Award is an honor of which the entire team is extremely proud. This distinction recognizes the expertise of the Museum and its partners, and positions it as an innovative venue offering unique visitor experiences. The award also underscores the Museum’s important contribution to the development of the Valcourt and Eastern Townships region. I congratulate the other recipients of a 2018 Tourism Excellence Award, as well as all the finalists who were selected from over 220 businesses and events that had applied.”
2017
- Heritage interpretation excellence award - AQIP jury PRIZE
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The Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier won the Heritage Interpretation Excellence Award jury prize presented by the Association québécoise des interprètes du patrimoine last November 3rd. This annual prize recognizes an exceptional accomplishment in the area of diffusing and showcasing a heritage resource.
Unique in Quebec, the new Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier received the distinction in May 2016, as it opened the doors of an entirely renovated and reinvented space in terms of both infrastructure and content. Visitors are encouraged to participate in the numerous interactive displays: star in a Ski-Doo® commercial; pilot a C Series aircraft; imagine a vehicle from the future and test it at the Idea Studio; and much more! Visitors also have the opportunity to explore the legacy of J. Armand Bombardier at the Passion as a way of life exhibition, and learn about the Bombardier company’s vibrant expansion through the multimedia show A Passion for Success, produced by Moment Factory. The Fab Lab—a digital fabrication workshop—as well as a tour of the reserve and the archives were among the new additions to the Museum.
“I accept this award on behalf of the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation, which administers the Museum, on behalf of Bombardier and its entities, BRP, and the collaborators and employees who contributed to the Museum’s multimedia, interactive and immersive displays,” said Marcelle Rousseau, the Foundation’s communications, marketing and events strategist. “The Museum has diverse and innovative cultural and educational programming, provides a gathering place for the community and showcases the legacy of J. Armand Bombardier.”
- SMQ 2017 – Excellence, Category 1
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The Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier won the SMQ 2017 – Excellence, Category 1 award presented by the Museums of Quebec. This distinction is awarded annually to an institution with a Museum project valued at $2M or more and that really stood out over the year.
The Museum earned the award for the revitalization and expansion that took place in May 2016 after 45 years in existence. It was a major transformation of both infrastructure and content designed to encourage visitor participation, integrate disciplines and create a dynamic experience suited to a wide range of interests and ages. Beyond the traditional museum dedicated to the history of the snowmobile, the institution expanded its horizons to combine history, education and entertainment through a melting pot of creativity, interaction, entrepreneurship and innovation. “This is a wonderful acknowledgement of the employees, collaborators and partners who came together to imagine, revitalize and renovate our new Museum. It’s now a modern, world-class and accessible museum, and we are very proud of it!” said Museum Director Carol Pauzé, after accepting the prize.
The Musée de l’ingéniosité J. Armand Bombardier is unique in its kind, presenting a remarkable industrial and entrepreneurial heritage inspired by the work of Joseph-Armand Bombardier and his successors in the transport sector.