TORONTO, Feb. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - The Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA) will announce the three 2012 shortlist finalists on Friday, March 16 at 10:00 a.m. at Scotia Plaza, 44 King St. West, 4th floor, Schooner Room. Now in its second year, the SPA was created to raise the international profile of Canada's leading photographic artists and is the largest annual peer reviewed celebration of excellence in Canadian contemporary photography.

"The SPA helps build recognition for Canadian artists with a developed body of work and who are building a following," said Jane Nokes, Director of the Fine Art Collection and Corporate Archives at Scotiabank. "The award celebrates contemporary Canadian photographers whose work is enjoyed by, and adds to, the richness of communities across the country.

The SPA was conceived and developed by Ed Burtynsky, one of Canada's most respected photographers and Jane Nokes, Director of the Fine Art Collection and Corporate Archives at Scotiabank Group. Mr. Burtynsky is Chair of SPA and Jane Nokes is Executive Director. Both serve on the Board of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, the largest photography festival in the world.

The three 2012 SPA shortlist finalists were chosen from a field of 12 nominees. The SPA winner will receive a cash prize of $50,000 and have a book of their works published and distributed world-wide by internationally-renowned art photography publisher Steidl (Germany). The winner will also be featured at their own curated exhibition at the following year's Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. This year's SPA winner will be announced on May 9, 2012. A $1500 honorarium will be awarded to the nominator of the winning photographer and the two runner-up finalists will each receive a $5000 cash prize.

For more information on SPA please visit: http://www.scotiabankphotoaward.com/index.html

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank Bright Future.  Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $45 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.