TORONTO, ON - May 06, 2015 /CNW/ - Scotiabank named Angela Grauerholz as the winner of the fifth annual Scotiabank Photography Award. The winner was announced Wednesday evening at a Gala Reception at the Ryerson Image Centre in Toronto.

The prestigious Scotiabank Photography Award includes a $50,000 cash prize, a solo Primary Exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre during the 2016 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, and a book of the winner's work to be published and distributed worldwide by renowned art book publisher Gerhard Steidl.

The Scotiabank Photography Award is Canada's largest annual peer-nominated and peer-reviewed celebration of excellence in Canadian contemporary photography. This award was designed to raise the international profile of established Canadian photographic artists.

The Scotiabank Photography Award was founded by Edward Burtynsky, Chair of the Scotiabank Photography Award Jury, and Jane Nokes, Scotiabank's Director of Arts, Culture, & Heritage and Executive Director of the Scotiabank Photography Award. The Award is designed to provide support to an established artist as he or she reaches for the next level of national and international recognition.

"For decades, Angela Grauerholz has been consistently building a body of work that evokes place, memory and archives, time past and present," says Edward Burtynsky. "Many of her images feel as if they were plucked from a dream. As this year's Scotiabank Photography Award winner, it gives us great pleasure to work with her over the next year, creating the survey book and exhibition from her prolific career."

Angela Grauerholz joins an exclusive group of artists who have been honoured with the Scotiabank Photography Award that includes Mark Ruwedel (2014), Stan Douglas (2013), Arnaud Maggs (2012) and Lynne Cohen (2011).

Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1952, Angela Grauerholz has lived and worked in Montreal since 1976. A graduate of the Kunstschule Alsterdamm, Hamburg, in graphic design, she holds a Master's degree in Fine Arts (photography) from Concordia University, Montreal. In 1980, she was a co-founder of ARTEXTE, centre d'information en art contemporain, still today an important archives for Canadian art. In 2010, the National Gallery of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP), mounted a major exhibition of her work.

"Angela Grauerholz is a truly gifted artist with a uniquely personal and philosophical insight that brings an unparalleled depth and presence to her photographs," says Jane Nokes. "We are proud to name Angela as this year's winner, and we look forward to her future work that is sure to inspire her students, peers, and the next generation of photographic artists to strive for excellence."

Ms. Grauerholz was selected from a group of three finalists, which also included Rafael Goldchain and Isabelle Hayeur, by a jury composed of distinguished ‎members of the Canadian arts community. The two shortlisted artists receive cash prizes of $10,000 each. Members of the 2015 jury are:

• Robert Bean, Professor at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design University, artist, writer and curator, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• Catherine Bédard, Deputy Director of the Canadian Cultural Centre and art historian, Paris, France.
• Robert Enright, Professor and University Research Chair in Art Theory and Criticism, University of Guelph, Ontario, and Senior Contributing Editor of Border Crossings magazine, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

2014 Scotiabank Photography Award winner, Mark Ruwedel, debuts his solo Primary Exhibition during this year's Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Members of the public are invited to visit the Mark Ruwedel Exhibition free of charge at the Ryerson Image Centre (33 Gould Street, Toronto) from April 29 to June 28, 2015.

For more information about the Scotiabank Photography Award winner, finalists and jury, please visit the website atwww.scotiabankphotoaward.com.

About Scotiabank
Through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average $50 million annually over the last five years to community causes around the world.

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