Largest award for Canadian photography offers $50,000,
publishing deal and exhibit at Scotiabank CONTACT 2012

TORONTO, Feb. 28 /CNW/ - In continuing a tradition of supporting Canadian contemporary art, Scotiabank is pleased to introduce the jurors of the Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA), the largest award in Canada for an established Canadian photographer. The shortlisted nominees for the $50,000 prize will be announced at a media conference on Friday, March 11, 2011.  

"The work of Canada's elite contemporary photo artists represents all Canadians," said Jane Nokes, Scotiabank Photography Award executive director and the director of Corporate Archives and Fine Art for Scotiabank Group. "Their creative vision communicates both who we are as a country and how we see the world. The Scotiabank Photography Award helps celebrate that vision and that voice as it unlocks some of the best talent this country has to offer."

Members of the jury panel are:

• William A. Ewing, director of Curatorial Projects Thames & Hudson;
• Marie-Josée Jean, director of VOX, centre de l'image contemporaine;
• Karen Love, manager of Curatorial Affairs at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The Scotiabank Photography Award was created by distinguished Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky in collaboration with Jane Nokes, to raise the profile and promote the significance of contemporary Canadian photo-based art to 21st century society.  Mr. Burtynsky serves as Chairperson of the inaugural jury panel.

Award candidates will be nominated by eight independent photography experts from across Canada. Three jurors will adjudicate the nominees in March 2011, and will select a short list of three, one of which will be selected as the winner.

The short list will be announced on March 11, 2011, and the winner will be announced at a gala event on May 18, 2011, during the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.

The winner of the Scotiabank Photography Award will receive $50,000, a book published and distributed worldwide by art photography publisher Steidl, and a curated photography exhibition. The book and exhibition will be launched at the 2012 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, the world's largest photography festival.

Nominees for the Scotiabank Photography Award must be 18 or older and Canadian citizens (although they may live anywhere in the world). They must show excellence and inventiveness in photographic narrative and artistry, as well as an ongoing commitment to their career in photography.

For information on the eight independent nominators please see attached backgrounder.

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SCOTIABANK PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
MEDIA BACKGROUNDER

Scotiabank is committed to art, culture and heritage in the communities where we live and work around the world, and the arts are a key area of focus for us.  Some of our partnerships in the area of arts and culture include Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Scotiabank Caribana, Art Souterrain in Montreal and, as of 2010, the title sponsorship of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.

The Scotiabank Photography Award demonstrates Scotiabank's leadership in Canadian photographic arts, and an appreciation for the insightful contributions that Canadian photographers bring to our country.

Nominations for the Scotiabank Photography Award were made by eight independent nominators in fields of contemporary art, inclusive of museum and gallery directors, curators, practicing artists, professors, writers and critics from across Canada. The nominators are:

• Catherine Crowston, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton, AB);
• Robert Enright, Professor and University Research Chair in Art Theory and Criticism, University of Guelph and Senior Contributing Editor, Border Crossings magazine (Winnipeg, MB);
• Gary Hall, Executive Director, Gallery TPW (Toronto, ON);
• Martha Langford, Associate Professor and Concordia Research Chair in Art History, Concordia University (Montreal, PQ);
• Sheila Perry, Director, The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery (St. John's, NL);
• Maia-Mari Sutnik, Curator of Photography, Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON);
• Ann Thomas, Curator, Photographs Collection, National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON); and
• Jeff Wall, Artist (Vancouver, BC)