The 1st Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 3, 2013, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2012. This was the inaugural Canadian Screen Awards ceremony, following the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's decision, announced in 2012, to merge its formerly separate Genie Awards (for film) and Gemini Awards (for television) into a single ceremony. In addition, the Canadian Screen Awards include awards for achievements in digital media.
Nominations were announced on January 15, 2013. The awards ceremony was hosted by Martin Short.
The program was watched by 756,000 Canadian viewers, approximately double the typical ratings for Genie or Gemini ceremonies in recent years.
Several special awards were given: