Esse x Hnatyshyn Foundation Young Critics Competition
The Hnatyshyn Foundation is pleased to partner with Esse arts + opinions to support the publication’s Young Critics Competition. This annual writing competition is open to students registered in an undergraduate or master’s program at a Canadian university. It aims to promote the work of emerging art critics by providing them with editorial support and a first publishing experience in Esse magazine.
With this competition founded in 2003, Esse has given itself the mandate to support new talent while developing critical thought in contemporary art. Thanks to this collaboration, starting in 2026, the annual competition will offer a $1,000 prize to the winner. The winner will have their text published in the Fall issue of the magazine and will have the opportunity to publish a second text, with an additional $500 honorarium, on Esse’s digital platform. Two $500 prizes will also be awarded to the finalists, along with the online publication of their work.
-
Please visit Esse’s website for details. The competition will open on May 10, 2026.
-
TBA in 2026!
-
The adjudicators for this program are determined by Esse’s editorial committee.
-
A non-profit organization founded in 1984, Les éditions Esse produces Esse arts + opinions, a bilingual contemporary art magazine covering a wide range of artistic practices, including visual arts, performing arts, digital arts and all forms of social, in situ or performative intervention.
