Mid-Career Awards: Visual Arts and Curatorial Excellence

Wanda Nanibush

Wanda Nanibush photographed by Nadya Kwandibens of Red Works Studio.

Curtis Talwst Santiago

A lineup for lineups must be Friday. Always that one barber on the damn phone! Bruh, can you please finish my fade!?, 2022. Reclaimed jewellery box, Paper, leather, plastic, wood, acrylic paint, oil paint, human hair, gold leaf, Epoxy putty. 4 x 3 1/2 x 2 in (10.1 x 8.9 x 5 cm). Photo credit Holger Albrich. Courtesy the artist.

Bridget Moser

Video still, My Crops Are Dying But My Body Persists (2020). Videography: Paul Tjepkema. Courtesy of the artist.

Kent Monkman

Resurgence of the People (2019), Acrylic on canvas, 132” x 264”. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Courtesy of the artist.

Dana Claxton

Tatanka 2 (2019). Chromogenic metallic print. Courtesy of the artist

Hajra Waheed

Hum (2020, Installation view from Portikus, DE (11 Jul – 6 Sep 2020). Multi-channel sound installation with custom speaker casings, 36m 17s. Courtesy of the Artist. Photo: Diana Pfammatter

Isabelle Hayeur

Newts
2019 - 2020
From the Underworlds photographic series
Inkjet on photo paper

The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Award for Excellence in Visual Arts, of $30,000 (formerly $25,000), is awarded annually to a Canadian mid-career artist who has demonstrated excellence and innovation in their body of work and who shows promise of outstanding artistic achievement in the years ahead.

The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Award for Curatorial Excellence, of $20,000 (formerly $15,000), is awarded annually to a Canadian mid-career curator of contemporary visual art in recognition of their contribution to the advancement of the contemporary visual arts in Canada.

• Guidelines

  Both prizes are awarded annually and can only be received once. The eligible disciplines for the visual arts prize include, but are not limited to, painting, drawing, engraving, sculpture, photography, sculptural installations, and multimedia installations.

  Artists and curators cannot apply for these awards. A selection committee of arts professionals from across the country draws up the list of candidates and chooses the award recipients. Candidates must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

  Candidates for the artists’ award are identified on the basis of excellence in a substantial body of work as reflected in peer group assessments, significant acquisitions and solo exhibitions in professional exhibition facilities.

  Candidates for the curators’ award will have demonstrated exceptional support for innovative artistic expression through the creation of a significant number of important exhibitions which, through their vision, presentation, and documentation, advance Canadians’ awareness and appreciation of contemporary visual art. Independent curators, as well as those working within an institutional context, are eligible.

  The Hnatyshyn Foundation defines a mid-career artist or curator as an artist or curator of any age who began working professionally or began gaining peer recognition in the last 8-20 years, who has demonstrated excellence and innovation in their body of work, and who shows promise of outstanding artistic or curatorial achievement in the years ahead. If there is ambiguity about an artist or curator’s eligibility for a mid-career award, the Foundation defers the decision to the selection committee responsible for determining the prize winner.

• Laureates

  Past laureates

  2026

  We look forward to announcing the short lists on July 15th and to unveiling the laureates, as well as the members of the juries, on August 15th.

• Selection Committee

  Past adjudicators

  2026

  We look forward to unveiling the identities of the selection committee members on August 15th.

• Shortlists

  Past shortlists

  2026

  We look forward to announcing the short lists on July 15th.

• Longlists

  The Hnatyshyn Foundation is thrilled, for the first time in the twenty years since these awards’ inception, to reveal the artists and curators longlisted by the juries. By doing so, The Hnatyshyn Foundation is proud to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of an even greater number of deserving Canadian artists and curators.

  The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Award for Excellence in Visual Arts: LONG LIST

  Artists headshot

  From top left to bottom right: Joi T. Arcand (photo: Tracey Lynne Photography, courtesy of Joi Arcand) | Charles Campbell | Brenda Draney (photo: Amber Bracken, courtesy of Brenda Draney, Catriona Jeffries (Vancouver), and Ortuzar (New York)) | Emily Hermant (photo: BP Photography, courtesy of Emily Hermant and Monte Clark Gallery) | Kapwani Kiwanga (photo: Angela Scamarcio, courtesy of Kapwani Kiwanga and the Goodman Gallery) | Tau Lewis (photo: Lluna Falgas, courtesy of Tau Lewis) | Esmaa Mohamoud (photo: Jeremy Clemente, courtesy of Esmaa Mohamoud) | Lisa Myers (photo: Dana Prieto, courtesy of Lisa Myers) | Lou Sheppard (photo: Nathalie Chollet, courtesy of Lou Sheppard) | Sanaz Sohrabi (photo: Philippa Langley for Vie des arts, courtesy of Sanaz Sohrabi) | Catherine Telford-Keogh (photo: Sarah Bodri, courtesy of Catherine Telford-Keogh) | Howie Tsui (photo: Rémi Thériault, courtesy of Howie Tsui) | Zadie Xa (photo: Artifacts Copy, courtesy of Zadie Xa) | Jinny Yu (photo: Craig Boyko © AGO, courtesy of Jinny Yu and the AGO).

  The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Award for Curatorial Excellence: LONG LIST

  Curators headshot

  From top left to bottom right: Melissa Bennett (courtesy of Melissa Bennett) | Pamela Edmonds (photo: Steven Farmer, courtesy of Pamela Edmonds) | Mireille Eagan (photo: lvimagery, courtesy of Mireille Eagan) | Mona Filip (photo: Victoria Cimolini, courtesy of Mona Filip) | Diane Gistal (photo: Orphée Okito, courtesy of Diane Gistal) | Sophie Hackett (photo: Luis Mora, courtesy of Sophie Jackett) | Ji-Yoon Han (courtesy of Ji-Yoon Han) | Liz Ikiriko (photo: Clay Stang, courtesy of Liz Ikiriko) | Camille Larivée (photo: Katya Konioukhova, courtesy of MAI and Camille Larivée) | Crystal Mowry (photo: Carey Shaw, courtesy of Crystal Mowry) | Taqralik Partridge (courtesy of Taqralik Partridge) | Kirsty Robertson (courtesy of Kirsty Robertson) | Cheryl Sim (photo: Guillaume Simoneau, courtesy of Cheryl Sim) | Toleen Touq (photo: Hussam Hassan, courtesy of Toleen Touq).