Seven artists in the middle of their careers won awards worth $15,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, it was announced Wednesday.

The annual Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Awards are meant to recognize outstanding mid-career artists working in each of seven disciplines: music, theatre, dance, visual arts, media arts, writing and publishing, and interdisciplinary arts.

Two of the awards went to artists working to develop new forms of expression within the First Nations community. Interdisciplinary artist Robin Brass of Regina is the co-founder of Sakewewak Artists' Collective and teaches at First Nations University of Canada while dancer Santee Smith from Six Nations, Ont., is the founding Artistic Director and choreographer for Kaha:wi Dance Theatre.

Vancouver-based nature writer Peter Knudson, who has co-authored several books with science broadcaster David Suzuki, is also delving into the world of First Nations, as his grant will fund a look at the elusive bond between humans and animals through the lens of native mythology.

The other winners are documentary filmmaker Pascale Ferland of Joliette, Quebec, playwright Larry Tremblay of Chicoutimi, and jazz musician and composer Brad Turner and visual artist Ron Terada, both from Vancouver.

The prizes were created with a bequest made by the late Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton to the Canada Council.