The annual total prize value for the Sobey Art Award, Canada’s pre-eminent contemporary art award, has been increased to $100,000.

In addition to the $50,000 prize awarded to the winner of the Sobey Art Award, additional funding is being allocated to increase the award to each of the four short listed artists to $10,000 (previously $5,000) and to introduce a $500 award to each of the remaining twenty long-listed artists.

“The Sobey Art Award was created to foster the careers of young Canadian visual artists and as such the Trustees of the Sobey Art Foundation felt it appropriate to use the funds available to give a boost to all of the long listed artists in this process,” said Rob Sobey, Chair of the Sobey Art Foundation.  “Support for young Canadian artists has been the vision of the Sobey Art Award since its inception in 2002 and we felt this was the best way to enhance that mission.”   

The Award is presented annually to a Canadian artist age 40 or under who has exhibited work in a public or commercial art gallery within 18 months of being nominated. The 2014 Sobey Art Award begins accepting nominations Feb. 1.  

Sarah Fillmore, Chief Curator of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and Curator of the Sobey Art Award said: “The call for nominations is open to Canadian artists 40 and under. Curators, artists, gallerists, critics – we call on you to bring forward those names you feel most passionately should be on everyone’s lips. We welcome this opportunity to survey the Canadian art landscape and see the wealth of work being produced. We are delighted that the Sobey Art Foundation has chosen to add additional prize money that will benefit the careers of all of the artists on the long list.” 

The deadline for nominations is February 28th, 2014. 

The 25-artist long list will be announced in April and the five finalists of the 2014 Award will be announced in June.

For nomination inquiries please contact:
Sarah Fillmore, 
Curator Sobey Art Award
c/o Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
1723 Hollis Street, Box 2262
Halifax, NS B3J 3C8
(902) 424-5169
Fax 902-424-7359 

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