The Yukon Prize for Visual Arts

Recognizing excellence in visual arts

2023 Recipient of the Yukon Prize Yukon Prize icon Kaylyn Baker

Kaylyn Baker 2023 Yukon Prize Recipient
Kaylyn Baker 2023 Yukon Prize Recipient Blue Shawl
Kaylyn Baker 2023 Yukon Prize Recipient Grandmother
Kaylyn Baker 2023 Yukon Prize Recipient Guitar
Kaylyn Baker 2023 Yukon Prize Recipient Salmon Shawl

2023 Recipient of the Yukon Prize Casino Mining Viewers’ Choice Awared Yukon Prize icon Cole Pauls

Congratulations to 2023 Yukon Prize finalist Cole Pauls who was awarded the first ever $3,000 Yukon Prize Casino Mining Viewer’s Choice Award.

Thank you to all who took the time to visit and vote at the Yukon Prize Finalists’ Exhibition.

Highlights of  The Yukon Prize Celebration Weekend!

Thursday September 14, 2023

Opening of Yukon Prize 2023 Finalists’ Exhibition,
Yukon Arts Centre Gallery, Whitehorse.

To see a gallery of photos from the Finalists’ Exhibition opening, click through the images.

The Finalists Exhibition runs from September 14 – November 17, 2023.

Friday September 15, 2023

Yukon Prize Art Crawl presented by Air North, Yukon’s Airline
View the art crawl map (PDF) »

To see a gallery of photos from the Art Crawl, click through the images.

Saturday September 16, 2023

Panel: What I Look for in Contemporary Art: Yukon Prize Jurors Heather Igloliorte, Michelle Jacques, Sarah Milroy

Watch this panel discussion on our Youtube channel here.

Panel: The National Gallery of Canada and Beyond: Michelle Lavallee, National Gallery of Canada and Vuntut Gwitchin artist Jeneen Frei Njootli

Watch this panel discussion on our Youtube channel here.

Free lunch, sponsored by Tim Hortons

Seminar: Navigating the Art Industry, with Artist consultant Pennylane Shen of Dazed and Confucius

Workshop: Making paper houses with Artist in Residence Tara Kolla

 

Artists’ tours of the Yukon Prize 2023 Finalists’ Exhibition

The six finalists offered two tours of the Finalist’s Exhibition.

To see a gallery of photos from the finalists’ tours of the show, click through the images.

Yukon Prize Gala awards show and reception
The Gala show featured performing artists Matthew Lien, the Kwanlin Dághàłaan K’e Dancers and Bria Rose N’ Thorns as well as the announcement of the 2023 Yukon Prize winner, Kaylyn Baker.

Click through the gallery of photos from the Gala show and reception and get a sense of the buzz and sense of celebration in the room, not to mention the fabulous food!

Watch the Gala Awards Show

Yukon Prize 2023 finalists

 

Yukon Prize 2023 Finalists

In a competition judged by three outstanding Canadian arts professionals, the organizers of the Yukon Prize for Visual Arts are pleased to announce the six finalists for the $20,000 Yukon Prize.

Kaylyn Baker
Jeffrey Langille
Rebekah Miller
Cole Pauls
Omar Reyna
Alainnah Whachell


“The applicants for this prize exemplified the diversity of approaches to making art that are alive and well in the Yukon, from beadwork and weaving to electronic sound works and sculptural installation. It was a privilege to be immersed in such a rich feast of creativity.”
Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and 2023 Yukon Prize juror

Congratulations to the finalists!

Yukon Prize 2023 Longlist

 

Yukon Prize Longlist, 2023

The Yukon Prize is pleased to share the 2023 Yukon Prize Longlist. We look forward to sharing more about the longlisted artists as well as the annoucement of the shortlist in June.

Our deepest gratitude to all artist who took the time and made the effort to apply.

Justin Apperley
Kaylyn Baker
Jeffrey Langille
Robyn McLeod
Meshell Melvin
Rebekah Miller
Jackie Olson
Cole Pauls
Nicole Rayburn
Omar Reyna
Rosemary Scanlon
Alainnah Whachell

Find out more info about each artist »

2023 Yukon Prize Jurors Announced!

The Yukon Prize Committee is  pleased to announce the jurors for the 2023 Yukon Prize:

Heather Igloliorte

Dr. Heather Igloliorte (Inuk-Newfoundlander, Nunatsiavut), is the University Research Chair in Circumpolar Indigenous Arts at Concordia University in Tiohtiá:ke/ Montreal, where she leads the Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership SSHRC Partnership Grant and Co-Directs the Indigenous Futures Research Centre. Igloliorte has been a curator for seventeen years; among many projects, she is the lead guest curator for INUA, the inaugural exhibition of the new Inuit art centre, Qaumajuq, in Winnipeg.  Igloliorte also serves as the Co-Chair of the Indigenous Circle for the Winnipeg Art Gallery; is President of the Board of the Inuit Art Foundation; and sits on the Faculty Council of the Otsego Institute for Native American Art History at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York

Michelle Jacques

Michelle Jacques is a curator, educator, and cultural worker. She is currently the Head of Exhibitions and Collections/Chief Curator at Remai Modern, which is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of Métis, in the city also known as Saskatoon. Prior to moving to the Prairies, she was the Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in British Columbia for 8 years; before that, she held curatorial positions in the contemporary and Canadian departments at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. Her long-term commitment is to growing the relevance of visual art museums, but she has also worked as the Director of Programming at the Centre for Art Tapes, an artist-run centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and taught writing, art history and curatorial studies at NSCAD University, the University of Toronto Mississauga, and OCAD University.

Sarah Milroy

Sarah Milroy is the chief curator of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario. She has curated or co-curated major exhibitions on Emily Carr, David Milne, Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald, Denyse Thomasos, Dempsey Bob, Gathie Falk, and Wanda Koop. Milroy previously served as art critic of the Globe and Mail (2001 to 2011), and as editor and publisher of Canadian Art (1991 to 1996).

Significant dates for Yukon Prize 2023 can be found on the About page. Applications for the 2023 Yukon Prize are now closed.

The Rules for the 2023 Yukon Prize can be found on the Rules page. Some frequently asked questions and a summary of the rules can be found on the application page.

2021 Recipient of the Yukon Prize Yukon Prize icon Joseph Tisiga