Recognising Cultural Contributions That Carry the Commons Seal

For the common good.

The Creative Women’s Association (CWA) stewards a clear and transparent process for the voluntary recognition and safeguarding of cultural contributions through the Commons Seal.

The Commons Seal operates within CWA’s Commons Framework — a non-statutory, safeguarding-adjacent system that supports attribution, continuity, and integrity of cultural work over time.

CWA acts as the founding steward of the Commons Seal and its symbolism, and is responsible for caring for the shared standards and practices that allow recognised cultural contributions to carry value across systems.

What May Carry the Commons Seal

The Commons Seal may be applied to recognised cultural contributions, including both tangible and intangible outputs, where those contributions have been clearly defined and reviewed through a shared assessment process.

Recognised cultural contributions may include:

• physical works, goods, garments, or materials
• programs, practices, or methodologies
• services, experiences, or time-based cultural work
• defined forms of care, knowledge, or relational practice

Recognition applies to the specific contribution, not automatically to all work produced by an individual or organisation.

Assessment & Recognition Standards

Cultural contributions are reviewed through a Cultural Contribution Assessment (CCA).

The CCA considers contributions as defined, attributable practices or outputs, not as personal qualities or subjective expression.

To be eligible to carry the Commons Seal, a cultural contribution must:

• be clearly defined in scope and delivery
• demonstrate identifiable origin and authorship
• align with shared standards of integrity, quality, and provenance
• show consistency, accountability, and public value
• be capable of ongoing custodianship and continuity

This approach enables both tangible and intangible contributions to be recognised without reducing cultural work to narrow metrics or commercial outputs.

Who May Apply for the Commons Seal

Applications for the Commons Seal are open to any individual, organisation, or institution seeking recognition of a defined cultural contribution.

Eligibility is not restricted by gender, sector, or discipline.

Applications are assessed on the contribution itself — its definition, delivery, provenance, and integrity — rather than identity, status, or affiliation.

Participation in the Commons Framework is voluntary.

Current Recognition Pathways

At present, many recognised cultural contributions arise through learning and development pathways delivered by the Creative Women’s Association (CWA), including work led by Certified Creative Practitioners and Certified Creative Ateliers.

This reflects where evidence shows the greatest concentration of historically unrecognised cultural labour and where targeted infrastructure delivers the strongest public benefit.

The Commons Framework itself is designed to expand over time, as shared standards are adopted more broadly across the Culture & Provenance sector, in service of the common good.

How the Recognition Process Works

Submission
Applicants submit a Cultural Contribution Statement describing the contribution, its delivery, authorship, and supporting documentation.

Review
The contribution is reviewed against shared Commons Framework standards using the Cultural Contribution Assessment (CCA).

Recognition & Sealing
Where criteria are met, the contribution may be recognised and issued the Commons Seal, and recorded in the public registry of recognised works.

Continuity & Integrity
Recognised contributions may be periodically reviewed to ensure provenance, integrity, and custodianship are maintained over time.

What the Commons Seal Does — and Does Not Do

The Commons Seal:

• recognises authorship and labour
• supports trust, integrity, and attribution
• creates a defensible basis for recognition, commissioning, and valuation

The Commons Seal does not:

• license practice
• guarantee remuneration
• confer regulatory approval or authority

It creates the conditions through which cultural contributions can be fairly recognised and valued within existing economic and institutional systems..

In Service of the Common Good

By recognising cultural contributions through provenance, the Commons Framework safeguards shared cultural value — value generated through time, skill, care, and creativity — for the benefit of communities, industries, and future generations.

The Common Wealth Framework