Awards Archive

Maria Ierullo Award
This award is presented for outstanding service to our community at large. Maria Ierullo dedicated herself to community service and social activism based on her deep faith. She was an active member of St. Anthony’s Church. Her community work included organizing prenatal clinics for young Italian women and helping people get a fair price for their properties in the 1960s, when homes in the Booth/Preston Street area were being expropriated. In the summer of 2005, Maria passed away. Angela Ierullo, her daughter, has generously donated the Maria Ierullo Award for community service.

2004: Maria Bonacci
2005: Rita Costantini
2006: Olita Schultz
2007: Antonietta Avanzini-Kondrat
2008: Pierangela Pica
2009: Fulvia Marcantonio
2010: Adalgisa Chiappa
2011: Paolina Violante
2012: Maria Savianne-Chubb
2013: Ivana Baldelli
2014: Anita Alloggia
2015: Michelina Celluci

The Jennie Prosperine Award
This award is presented for social service to the community. Jennie Prosperine was one of the first women to be recognized at the first Ottawa Italian Women’s Filò in 2003. She was dedicated to helping members of Ottawa’s small Italian community and newly arrived immigrants from Italy, who came after World War II. In June of 2007, Jennie passed away. The Jennie Prosperine Award for community service has been generously donated by her daughter, Nancy-Lou Prosperine.

2008: Raffaela Plastino
2009: Nina della Zazzera‑D’Onofrio
2010: Trina Costantini‑Powell
2011: Matilde Zinni
2012: Carla Minoli‑Lappa
2013: Graziella Laboccetta
2014: Milva Perri‑Kennedy
2015: Anna Maria Morrone

The Rosa Tiezzi Award
This award is presented for contributions to the community by promoting Italian culture. Rosa Tiezzi was one of the founders of Gruppo Anziani now located at 10 Balsam Street. Through her efforts in contacting women directly, she was able to fully involve them in social and recreational activities. In the spring of 2002, Rosa passed away. In her eulogy she was eloquently described as being strong and gentle. The Rosa Tiezzi Award for community service has been generously donated by her son, Italo Tiezzi.

2004: Suore Serve di Maria Addolorata de Nocera (le Suore Servite)
2005: Angelina Mangone
2006: Giovanna Panico
2007: Maddalena Iannitti
2008: Pat Adamo
2009: Vittoria Bucciarelli
2010: Anna D’Angelo
2011: Filomena Gulli
2012: Brunetta Filipponi
2013: Renata Coppola
2014: Josephine Palumbo
2015: Cynthia Nuzzi

Filò is proud to have supported the Donne Di Ottawa exhibit, unveiled at the Italian-Canadian Historical Centre on October 18, 2025. The exhibit is a dedicated space to discover and preserve women’s stories and celebrate the diversity of our italianità among Ottawa’s Italian women. Visit Donne Di Ottawa to dive deeper into the stories of the many women who have shaped Ottawa’s community life.

The Filò Award
In 2015, the Filò Award was introduced, as it became more difficult to find recipients whose volunteer work was focused only on social activism (Maria Ierullo Award) or culture (Rosa Tiezzi Award) or service (Jennie Prosperine Award). The contemporary Filò Award and Filò Youth Award recognize Italian Canadian women whose volunteer work takes place across the City of Ottawa.  

2015: Amelia Palumbo
2016: Pina Vincelli Salusbury, Anna Di Bello
2017: Anna Gaudio, Jessica Leung-Tuk (Youth)
2018: Irene D’Onofrio Martin, Matilde Brunetti
2019: Amy Caruso, Ariella Hostetter
2020: Enza Baiamonte, Bonnie Favilla – Premio Vita
2021: Virtual Gala – No Awards
2022: No Filò Gala
2023: Anna Monteduro, Carmela Tofano
2024: Maria Ricci
2025: Olimpia Bevilacqua, Carina Della Valle (Youth), Vanessa Marinelli (Youth)