TORONTO, ON - January 29, 2015 /CNW/ - Scotiabank today presented the nominees for the 2015 Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA) and announced an increase to the award.

The winner of the Scotiabank Photography Award receives a cash prize of $50,000 and a major solo exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre, as part of the 2016 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. In addition, a book of their work will be published and distributed worldwide by Steidl of Germany, the renowned art photography publisher. Scotiabank also announced that, beginning in 2015, the two finalists will receive cash prizes of $10,000 each, up from $5,000 in previous years.

"The award nominators have provided the jury panel with some great choices for this year's longlist," said Edward Burtynsky, Chair of the Scotiabank Photography Award jury and internationally renowned Canadian photo artist. "These artists have unique and distinctive bodies of work that show true excellence in Canadian contemporary photography. I want to thank the nominators for their careful selection of these gifted artists."

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

The nominees for the fifth annual Scotiabank Photography Awards are:

• Benoit Aquin, Montreal, Quebec
• Dianne Bos, Calgary , Alberta
• Jim Breukelman, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Rafael Goldchain, Toronto, Ontario
• Angela Grauerholz , Montreal, Quebec
• Isabelle Hayeur, Rawdon, Quebec
• Emmanuelle Leonard, Montreal, Quebec
• Laura Letinsky, Chicago, Illinois
• Graeme Patterson, Sackville, New Brunswick
• Gabor Szilasi, Montreal, Quebec
• Robert Walker, Montreal, Quebec

The longlist represents photographic artists from across Canada chosen by an eminent panel of nominators. Nominators include curators, photographers, artists, gallery directors, art writers, professors and critics from across the country. This year, the nominators are:

• Diane Charbonneau, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Decorative Arts and Photography, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec
• William Ewing, Director of Curatorial Projects, Thames & Hudson, London/ New York/ Paris/ Singapore/ Hong Kong/ Melbourne
• Blake Fitzpatrick, Professor, School of Image Arts, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario
• Ihor Holubizky, Senior Curator, McMaster Museum of Art, Adjunct Professor, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
• Marie-Josée Jean, Director, VOX, centre de l'image contemporaine, Montreal, Quebec
• Gemey Kelly, Director/Curator, Owens Art Gallery, Adjunct Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick
• Andrea Kunard, Associate Curator, Photographs, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
• Vincent Lavoie, Associate Professor, Art History Department, UQAM , Montreal, Quebec
• Karen Love, Director of Institutional Gifts, Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG), and independent curator, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Mary Reid, Director/Curator, Woodstock Art Gallery, Woodstock, Ontario 
• Ann Thomas, Senior Curator, Photographs Collection, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

"We are proud to be able to recognize these remarkable talents in Canadian contemporary photography as they reach a mid-point in their careers. The award was designed to profile an established Canadian photo-based artist, raising him or her to the next level of national and international recognition," said Jane Nokes. "Each of their artistic journeys has led to great bodies of work and we are excited to be able to help shine a spotlight on that journey."

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

• Robert Bean, Professor, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design University (NSCAD), Artist, Writer and Curator, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Catherine Bedard, Deputy Director of the Canadian Cultural Centre, Art Historian, Paris, France
• 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

Scotiabank is proud to host the 2014 winner Mark Ruwedel's book launch and exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre, from April 29 to May 31, 2015. His show, a Primary Exhibition at the 2015 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, will be open to the public free of charge for the month of May.

Finalists for the 2015 Scotiabank Photography Award will be announced on March 3, 2015. The winner will be announced on May 6, 2015 at the Ryerson Image Centre. For more information about the award, please visit www.scotiabankphotoaward.com. 

The Arts inspire all Canadians to pursue their passions, providing us with new perspectives and experiences that enrich our lives. That's why Scotiabank supports the Arts in Canadian communities as part of our Bright Future program.

About Scotiabank 
Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada's most international bank. Through Bright Future, our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level across six pillars: health, education, social services, arts and culture, environment and sports. Recognized as a leader for charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average some $50 million annually over the last five years to community causes around the world.