From the Nominator

In 2015, a group of dedicated volunteers created A Brilliant Night, a premier fundraising event to support brain cancer research at the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro). Since then, this event has raised $5.2 million net for brain cancer research at The Neuro, enabling its world-renowned team of experts to make transformational discoveries that have changed the understanding of the origin and development of brain cancer, and influenced the course of brain cancer research globally. This research was only possible because of funds raised through A Brilliant Night. 

Each year, we raise the bar for this event, looking for new ways to educate our guests on this important cause, and to share the impact their donations have had. But the pandemic changed everything. With no way of gathering together and no model to build on, we had to rethink.

And so we pivoted completely, creating a five-part docuseries sharing the experience of one person diagnosed with brain cancer, a patient at The Neuro and part of our Neuro family. This moving portrayal shared the grim realities of a family facing the tragedy of this devastating disease, and the dedication and perseverance of the teams at The Neuro who are striving to find answers.

A Brilliant Night stayed true to its mission in 2020, creating a hugely successful virtual experience that impacted and educated our community, expanded public awareness, and raised vital funds to support the world-class brain cancer research and patient care taking place at The Neuro.

From the Judges

The Neuro created a campaign that was emotive, timely, and certainly gripping. This campaign took the use of video to the next level, creating a five-part docuseries that would tell a compelling story, whilst subtly—yet successfully—encouraging donations to support their research. We were impressed, amazed, hooked, and pleased to see the financial success of this activity, which raised more than $5 million. The project presented a unique pivot completely away from online eventing, and instead created something new and innovative to reach their stakeholders. The team made good use of resources, and clearly have a great knowledge of their audience. They were not scared to take a risk on this big undertaking. Fundraising strategies included soliciting those who would usually attend an event, which proved successful, and working with volunteers' networks to attract support. This project had a great return on investment, incredible storytelling, and improved engagement on usual activity. It's a brilliant example of creativity and employing emotion.