TORONTO, March 31, 2021 /CNW/ - Four Canadian artists have been named to the 2021 Scotiabank Photography Award shortlist. The Award, celebrating its 11^th anniversary this year, is Canada's largest and most prestigious annual peer-nominated and reviewed prize for lens-based art. The Award celebrates the creative vision and accomplishments of some of the country's most gifted contemporary lens-based artists. Due to an exceptional talent pool to choose from this year, four artists have been shortlisted, instead of three.

The 2021 shortlisted artists are:

• Deanna Bowen, Montreal, QC
• Annie MacDonell, Toronto, ON
• Dawit L. Petros, Montreal, QC
• Greg Staats, Toronto / Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, ON

"Congratulations to these four outstanding artists," says Laura Curtis Ferrera, Chief Marketing Officer, Scotiabank. "Scotiabank has a long history and deep passion for supporting the arts in communities across Canada, and through their work, these artists demonstrate how photography exposes us to new ideas and allows us to see the world through a different lens."

In 2010, Scotiabank co-created the Scotiabank Photography Award with Canadian photographer, Edward Burtynsky, to strengthen its commitment to the arts and celebrate the creative vision and accomplishments of some of our country's most gifted lens-based artists. More than ten years later, the Award continues to inspire Canadians with photographic art and has proven to be instrumental in helping the winning artist to move to the next level of their artistic career.

"Following a year of challenges unlike anything many of us have faced in this lifetime, it is an immense pleasure to announce the 2021 Scotiabank Photography Award shortlist," says Edward Burtynsky, Chair of the Scotiabank Photography Award jury. "These artists have brought forth important photographic work and it's exciting to be able to celebrate and honour exceptional Canadian talent."

The winner of the 2021 Scotiabank Photography Award will be selected by a jury of pre-eminent members of the Canadian arts community and will receive:

• A cash prize of $50,000;
• A solo Primary Exhibition during the 2022 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival; and,
• A book of their work published and distributed worldwide by Steidl of Germany.

The 2021 jurors are:

• Edward Burtynsky, Artist, chair of the jury
• Sophie Hackett, Curator, Photography at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
• Dr. Kenneth Montague, Art Collector & Curator
• Brian Sholis, Editor, Curator/Writer

The three finalists will each receive $10,000.

The winner of the 2021 Scotiabank Photography Award will be announced in Spring 2021.

The 2020 Scotiabank Photography Award Winner, Dana Claxton, will have a solo Primary Exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre during the Scotiabank 2021 CONTACT Photography Festival opening May 2021.

For more information about the Scotiabank Photography Award, please visit the website at www.scotiabank.com/photoaward.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success 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 approximately 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as at January 31, 2021), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

SOURCE Scotiabank