Winner to be announced May 9

TORONTO, March 9, 2017 /CNW/ - Scotiabank proudly celebrates the creative vision of Canada's most gifted photographers with the 2017 Scotiabank Photography Award shortlist finalists: 

1. Raymonde April, Montréal, Québec
2. Donigan Cumming, Montréal, Québec
3. Shelley Niro, Brantford, Ontario

Known as one of Canada's largest and most prestigious photography awards, the Scotiabank Photography Award recognizes the achievements of an established mid to later career artist and the outstanding contribution that he or she has made to contemporary art and photography in Canada.

"The extraordinary 2017 finalists capture our imaginations, expose us to new ideas and enable us to see the world through a different lens," said Barb Mason, Group Head and Chief Human Resources Officer at Scotiabank. "Scotiabank is proud to play a role in celebrating excellence in Canadian contemporary photography and to help to raise the international profile of Canadian artists."

"Our three 2017 shortlist finalists are all remarkable artists with significant careers dedicated to the creation of solid bodies of work that demonstrate the excellence of contemporary Canadian photography," said Edward Burtynsky, Chair of the Scotiabank Photography Award jury and internationally renowned Canadian photo artist. "We look forward to announcing the winner of this year's Scotiabank Photography Award on May 9."

Scotiabank has a long-standing history of acknowledging the importance of photography in Canada and around the world through the Scotiabank Photography Award, as the sponsor of the CONTACT Photography Festival, and as Founding Partner of the Canadian Photography Institute – a global centre for excellence in photography at the National Gallery of Canada.

The Scotiabank Photography Award Jury is composed of pre-eminent members of the Canadian arts community:

• Robert Enright, Professor and University Research Chair in Art Theory and Criticism, University of Guelph, Ontario, and Senior Contributing Editor Border Crossings Magazine, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Marie J. Jean, Executive and Artistic Director, VOX centre de l'image contemporaine
• Mark Lewis, Artist

The winner of the 2017 Scotiabank Photography Award will receive a cash prize of $50,000, a major solo exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre, and a primary exhibition at the 2018 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. In addition, Gerhard Steidl of Germany will publish and internationally distribute a book of the winner's work. The two shortlisted artists will receive cash prizes of $10,000 each.

The 2016 Scotiabank Photography Award winner, Suzy Lake, will have a solo Primary Exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre during the 2017 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival and beyond, open to the public free of charge, from April 28 to August 13, 2017.

The 2017 Scotiabank Photography Award winner will be announced on May 9, 2017, at the Ryerson Image Centre. For more information about the prize please visit www.scotiabank.com/photoaward

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 88,000 employees and assets of $887 billion (as at January 31, 2017), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

SOURCE Scotiabank