The Power Plant

Established in 1999, the RBC Canadian Painting Competition is a unique initiative developed in collaboration with the Canadian Art Foundation to nurture and support promising new artists in the early stages of their careers. The competition provides exposure, financial support and valuable mentorship opportunities at a critical moment in these artist’s lives, providing them with a rich network of resources accessible for years to come.

The fifteen RBC Canadian Painting Competition finalists are selected by a distinguished jury from the Canadian art community to represent the emerging voices that explore, challenge, and embrace the nature of the medium. One national winner and two honorable mentions will be awarded purchase prizes of $25,000 and $15,000 respectively. The remaining artists each receive $2,500 toward their practices. With $85,000 in prizes, the RBC Canadian Painting Competition offers one of the highest awards of any painting competition in Canada.

This year’s jury members include: Sophie Brodovitch (Director of Equinox Gallery), Tammi Campbell (Artist), Gemey Kelly (Director/Curator of Owens Art Gallery), Harold Klunder (Artist), Kent Monkman (Artist), Georgia Scherman (Director/Owner of Georgia Scherman Projects), Reid Shier (Director/Curator of Presentation House Gallery), Beth Stuart (Artist), and Saelan Twerdy (Art Critic).

Finalists in this year’s RBC Canadian Painting Competition are: Wallis Cheung (Toronto), Alex Fischer (Toronto), Nika Fontaine (Berlin), Cameron Forbes (Saskatoon), Stephanie Hier (Toronto), Brian Hunter (Winnipeg), Hanna Hur (Los Angeles), Brian Kokoska (New York), Andrew Maize (Lunenburg), Keita Morimoto (Toronto), Justine Skahan (Gatineau), M.E. Sparks (Vancouver), Angela Teng (Vancouver), geetha thurairajah (Sackville), and Ambera Wellmann (Guelph).