TORONTO, April 4, 2024 /CNW/ - Three Canadian artists have been named to the 2024 Scotiabank Photography Award shortlist. The Award, celebrating its 14^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.

The 2024 shortlisted artists are:

• Nicolas Baier, Montreal, Quebec
• Clara Gutsche, Montreal, Quebec
• Thaddeus Holownia, Sackville, New Brunswick

"Congratulations to the three artists named to this year's Scotiabank Photography Award shortlist," says Laura Curtis Ferrera, Chief Marketing Officer, Scotiabank. "Lens-based art has the power to enrich our lives and Scotiabank is committed to supporting the craft across Canada and the many artists who continue to find unique ways to express themselves and share their talent with us. The finalists this year are telling stories through their art, ultimately helping connect and inspire communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast in profound and meaningful ways."

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. Fourteen years later, the Award continues to engage Canadians with photographic art and aims to be instrumental in working with the winning artist to assist them in achieving the next level of their artistic career.

"We are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 Scotiabank Photography Award, who are all accomplished and worthy of the first prize. This year the jury tipped their hat to artists who have dedicated decades to hone their vision and craft: Nicolas Baier who has been working at the intersection of photography technology and nature; Clara Gutsche, who has immersed herself in a lifelong pursuit of social documentary work; and Thaddeus Holownia, who has turned his large format practice onto the landscape of eastern Canada, creating a decades-long series of mostly panoramic images that define the complexity and beauty of our fragile world," says Edward Burtynsky, Chair of the Scotiabank Photography Award jury. "We are very excited with our short list, one that was particularly difficult as all the long-listed artists were strong candidates this year."

     This year's shortlist was selected from a longlist of 8 artists, inclusive of:

• Sara Angelucci
• Sara Cwynar
• Barry Pottle
• Chih-Chien Wang
• Shellie Zhang

The winner of the 2024 Scotiabank Photography Award will be announced in Spring 2024. The winner will receive a $50,000 cash prize, a solo exhibition during the 2025 CONTACT Photography Festival, and a published book of their work distributed worldwide by renowned art book publisher, Steidl. The three finalists will receive a cash prize of $10,000 each.

The finalists and winner of the 2024 Scotiabank Photography Award are selected by a jury of pre-eminent members of the Canadian arts community. This year's jury includes:

• Edward Burtynsky, Artist, Jury Chair
• Stéphane Aquin, Director, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
• Andrea Kunard, Senior Curator of Photography, National Gallery of Canada
• Gaëlle Morel, Exhibition Curator at the Toronto Image Centre (TIC)

The 2023 Scotiabank Photography Award winner, Dr. Ken Lum, will have a solo Primary Exhibition at the Toronto Image Centre during the  2024 CONTACT Photography Festival opening May 2024.

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

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SOURCE Scotiabank