Welcome to the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival!

Canada’s photographers make a unique contribution to how we see ourselves, our country and the world. Scotiabank is pleased to help celebrate their creative vision through our title sponsorship of this festival for a second consecutive year.

We are also very proud to introduce the Scotiabank Photography Award – the largest such award in Canada – which will be presented to an established Canadian photographer on May 18. We hope that this award will help raise the profile and promote the significance of contemporary Canadian photo-based art.

At Scotiabank, we are committed to supporting the communities where we live and work around the world, including their diverse art, culture and heritage. The Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival is an excellent example of that commitment. We look forward to sharing some of our country’s best photographic talent with you, and hope you enjoy the festival.
 

Rick Waugh
 

scotiabankphotoaward.com→ 

Canada's contemporary photo artists communicate their creative vision of who we are and where we stand. Scotiabank Photography Award, an annual search for excellence among leading Canadian photographers, is designed to celebrate that vision.

The Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA) is a Scotiabank initiative to establish the largest annual peer- reviewed celebration of excellence in Canadian contemporary photography. The Scotiabank Photography Award is the newest of Scotiabank’s growing portfolio of sponsorships of Canadian art, culture and heritage. The award will launch an exceptional Canadian photo-based artist to the next level of national and international recognition. World-renowned Canadian photo artist, Edward Burtynsky, is the co-founder with Jane Nokes, Director of Corporate Archives and Fine Art for Scotiabank Group. Eight eminent nominators from across Canada put forward qualified candidates who were adjudicated by three expert Canadian jurors. A short list of three artists was announced on March 11th, 2011, Roy Arden, Lynne Cohen and Robin Collyer. 

On May 18, Montreal artist Lynne Cohen was presented with the first Scotiabank Photography Award at a ceremony held this evening at Scotia Plaza in Toronto. The $50,000 award and book deal with art photography publisher Steidl, is Canada’s largest contemporary photography award for an established Canadian artist.

Lynne Cohen captures domestic and institutional interior spaces – from living rooms to spas, to retirement homes, laboratories, shooting ranges, showrooms, military installations and factories. Her work has been exhibited across Canada and around the world. Ms. Cohen is represented in more than 50 public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada; the Australian National Gallery, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Canada Council Art Bank.