Nomination deadline March 10, 2023
Nominations are now open for the 2023 Sobey Art Award. Nominators have until 8pm EST Friday, March 10, 2023, to submit their applications.
With a total of 400,000 CAD in prize money to contemporary visual artists, the Sobey Art Award’s mission is to champion and propel the careers of visual artists of all ages from across Canada onto the national and international stages.
The overall winner is given 100,000 CAD, 25,000 CAD is granted to each of the shortlisted artists, and 10,000 CAD is given to the remaining 20 long-listed artists. In addition, the five shortlisted artists will be featured in an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), with the winner announced at an evening ceremony this fall. Last year’s winner, representing the Prairies and North region, was Divya Mehra.
“The National Gallery of Canada is honoured to celebrate the continued impact of this valuable award championing Canadian visual artists,” said Angela Cassie, Interim Director and CEO of the Gallery. “The Sobey Art Award elevates the work of artists across Canada and with our partner the Sobey Art Foundation, we welcome nominations from across the country.”
“The Award was established as a catalyst for the advancement of artistic careers across Canada,” said Rob Sobey, Board of Trustees’ Chair of the Sobey Art Foundation. “It’s always exciting to open the call for nominations and we look forward to connecting new audiences with this country’s most innovative and creative voices.”
About the nomination process
The Sobey Art Award is open to individual artists and collectives. Nominees must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and have received recognition from peers, critics, and/or curators.
The NGC will accept nominations for the Award from established artists, arts professionals, scholars, critics, curators, professionals from art galleries and artist-run-centres, as well as private Canadian dealers in visual or media arts. The NGC will notify the sender by e-mail upon receipt of a nomination package.
An independent jury consisting of curators from Canada’s five regions—Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies and North, and West Coast and Yukon—as well as an international juror, will oversee the selection process.
The Sobey Art Award Nomination form is accessible here.
The Sobey Art Award past winners are: Brian Jungen (2002), Jean-Pierre Gauthier (2004), Annie Pootoogook (2006), Michel de Broin (2007), Tim Lee (2008), David Altmejd (2009), Daniel Barrow (2010), Daniel Young and Chirstian Giroux (2011), Raphaëlle de Groot (2012), Duane Linklater (2013), Nadia Myre (2014), Abbas Akhaven (2015), Jeremy Shaw (2016), Ursula Johnson (2017), Kapwani Kiwanga (2018), Stephanie Comilang (2019), Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory (2021), and Divya Mehra (2022).
Artworks from the five 2022 Sobey Art Award shortlisted artists are currently on display at the National Gallery of Canada until March 12, 2023.
For media inquiries, please contact: Josée-Britanie Mallet, Senior Officer, Media and Public Relations, National Gallery of Canada: bmallet@gallery.ca
About the Sobey Art Foundation
The Sobey Art Foundation was established in 1981 with the mandate to carry on the work of entrepreneur and business leader, the late Frank H. Sobey, who was a dedicated collector of Canadian art. In 2002 the Sobey Art Award was founded and is recognized as one of the world’s most generous, privately funded prizes for contemporary visual artists. The award is open to Canadian contemporary artists of all ages, and aims to promote new developments in contemporary art and provide opportunities for artists, bringing them national and international attention. Since 2016, it is organized and presented by the National Gallery of Canada.
About the National Gallery of Canada
Ankosé: Everything is Connected / Tout est relié
The NGC is dedicated to amplifying voices through art and extending the reach and breadth of its collection, exhibitions program, and public activities to represent all Canadians, while centring Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Ankosé—an Anishinaabemowin word that means “everything is connected”—reflects the Gallery’s mission to create dynamic experiences that open hearts and minds, and allow for new ways of seeing ourselves, one another, and our diverse histories, through the visual arts. The NGC is home to a rich contemporary Indigenous international art collection, as well as important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian and European art from the 14th to the 21st century. Founded in 1880, the NGC has played a key role in Canadian culture for more than 140 years.
To find out more about the Gallery’s programming and activities, visit gallery.ca and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. #Ankose #EverythingIsConnected #ToutEstRelié.
