The Cappies is a writing and theatre awards program that teaches high school theatre and student critics to be expert writers, critical thinkers, and leaders. Critics vie to be published in local media outlets by attending productions at other schools and writing critical reviews that celebrate local high school theatre productions. It all culminates in an award gala at the end of the season.

The National Capital Region Music Festival (1945), operating as the Kiwanis Music Festival – National Capital Region, encourages and promotes the enjoyment and study of music in our community’s young people through the production of an annual competitive music festival. Beginning in 1945, the Festival celebrated the music talents of Ottawa’s young people through a three-day competitive festival. The Festival now runs a full four weeks every April, featuring over 3,000 entries (over 8,000 participants) and is managed by a small part-time staff and over 300 volunteers. Competitions take place at various churches and schools around Ottawa. Our Festival concludes with the Highlights Concert, a full-length concert held at Algonquin Commons Theatre featuring some of the best and most entertaining of the young participants.