The Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada today launched a call for nominations for the 2019 Sobey Art Award, Canada’s prestigious contemporary art prize. The annual award is presented to a Canadian artist aged 40 or under. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 1, 2019.

Established in 2002, the Sobey Art Award represents unprecedented opportunities for Canadian contemporary artists, providing national and international recognition. From a total of 240,000 CAD prize money, 100,000 CAD is awarded to the winner, 25,000 CAD is given to each of the four shortlisted artists, and 2,000 CAD is awarded to each of the remaining twenty longlisted artists. Three artists from the longlist will also be selected each year by the Sobey Art Award Jury to participate in the Sobey Art Award Residencies Program (SAARP), providing international residencies which range in length from three to six months. The work of the five finalists, representing as many regions in Canada selected from the longlist of 25 nominees, is featured in a special exhibition that alternates yearly between the National Gallery of Canada and prominent art institutions across the country.

The 2019 Sobey Art Award’s longlist of nominees will be announced April 16, followed by the release of the shortlist on June 12. Those selected for the Sobey Art Award Residencies Program will be announced in September.

This year, the exhibition of works by the five shortlisted artists will be presented at the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton AB, from October 5, 2019 to January 5, 2020. The winner of the 2019 Sobey Art Award will be announced at a gala hosted by the Art Gallery of Alberta on November 15, 2019.

The 2019 international jury panel, chaired by National Gallery of Canada’s Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Josée Drouin-Brisebois, is composed of curators from five designated regions in Canada (the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies and the North, and the West Coast and Yukon) and one international juror.

About the Sobey Art Award process

The National Gallery of Canada will accept nominations for the 2019 Sobey Art Award from recognized agents and institutions. The jury will oversee the selection process. From the complete list of nominated artists, the jurors will create a longlist of 25 artists—five artists from each of five designated regions in Canada. The panel will then choose one representative from each region to be included on the national shortlist and in the 2019 Sobey Art Award exhibition. The panel will also select the winner of the 100,000 CAD top prize.

About the Sobey Art Award

Since its launch, the Sobey Art Award has profiled over 230 Canadian artists through its longlist process. For recipients, the Sobey Art Award has become a mark of distinction that has steered the artists toward national and international recognition. Past award recipients include Brian Jungen, Jean-Pierre Gauthier, Annie Pootoogook, Michel de Broin, Tim Lee, David Altmejd, Daniel Barrow, Daniel Young and Christian Giroux, Raphaëlle de Groot, Duane Linklater, Nadia Myre, Abbas Akhavan, Jeremy Shaw and Ursula Johnson. The 2018 Sobey Art Award Winner, Kapwani Kiwanga, was announced on November 14, 2018 at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.

For more information and nomination guidelines, please visit www.gallery.ca.