A wonder-filled day. We are delighted to introduce you to this year’s Allan Slaight Award recipient for the Sharing Wonder category.

This award recognizes an outstanding performance of magic by an exceptional artist. It comes with a prize of $15,000, and an engraved iPad to commemorate the occasion—both of which are generously provided by the Slaight Family Foundation.

It’s a pleasure to name HELDER GUIMARÃES as this year’s recipient. He joins the talented list of past recipients, which include Penn & Teller, Darcy Oake, Derek DelGaudio, Michael Carbonaro, Steve Cohen and Derren Brown.

In a year filled with challenges, Helder pushed past what wasn’t allowed, and instead, found a way to give us, The Present, an interactive magic show, completely staged and orchestrated remotely during the lockdown of 2020.

Drawing from a childhood trauma that left him isolated for many weeks, Helder used the early days of the pandemic to create an unusual magic experience. Even though it was magic performed over a screen, Helder found ways to maintain mystery on an intimate and personal level. From May to October 2020, The Present, became a box-office phenomenon, selling out over 250 shows in six months with three extensions, to audiences in thirty countries.

Meet this extraordinary artist and discovery how he brought magic and wonder into the world, during a time of great uncertainty.