The Yukon Prize for Visual Arts
Recognizing excellence in visual arts
2023 Recipient of the Yukon Prize 
Kaylyn Baker
Yukon Prize Celebration Weekend Schedule Out Now!
Thursday September 14, 2023
5-7 pm
Opening of Yukon Prize 2023 Finalists’ Exhibition,
Yukon Arts Centre Gallery, Whitehorse.
This is an opportunity to see some of the best contemporary Yukon art in mediums ranging from Indigenous beadwork and fashion to soundscapes, drawing, painting, graphic novels and photography.
The Finalists Exhibition runs from September 14 – November 17, 2023.
NEW THIS YEAR! – What artwork appeals to you the most? Vote for your favorite artwork. The winning Viewer’s Choice artist will receive the $3,000 Casino Mining Viewer’s Choice Award, to be awarded November 9, 2023.
Friday September 15, 2023
3-4 pm
Opening of the Government of Yukon and Friends of the Yukon Permanent Art Collection exhibition, new acquisitions,
Jim Smith building, 2071 2nd Ave, Whitehorse
4-8 pm
Yukon Prize Art Crawl presented by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, downtown Whitehorse. Live music, refreshments, artists’ demos, art exhibits and sales at over a dozen downtown locations. View the art crawl map HERE.
Saturday September 16, 2023
Talks, tours and workshops all day, gala in the evening
10-11 am
Panel: What I Look for in Contemporary Art: Yukon Prize Jurors Heather Igloliorte, Michelle Jacques, Sarah Milroy
Yukon University Room A2206 (register here)
11:15 am-12:15 pm
Panel: The National Gallery of Canada and Beyond: Michelle Lavallee, National Gallery of Canada and Vuntut Gwitchin artist Jeneen Frei Njootli
Yukon University Room A2206 (register here)
12:30 – 1:30 pm
Free lunch sponsored by Tim Hortons
Yukon University (register here)
1:30-3 pm
Seminar: Navigating the Art Industry, with Artist consultant Pennylane Shen of Dazed and Confucius
Yukon University Room A2206 (register here)
1:00 pm and 2:00 pm
Artists’ tours of the Yukon Prize 2023 Finalists’ Exhibition
Yukon Arts Centre (register here)
3-5 pm
Workshop: Making paper houses with Artist in Residence Tara Kolla Yukon Archives (register here)
6-9 pm
Yukon Prize Gala awards show and reception, Yukon Arts Centre Celebrate with performing artists Matthew Lien, the Kwanlin Dághàłaan K’e Dancers and Bria Rose N’ Thorns. Find out who will receive the 2023 Yukon Prize for Visual Arts, and enjoy culinary creations by six chefs featuring local food inspired by the six finalists’ art, a Portrait Parlour for glam photos, door prizes, tours of the Finalists’ show and more.
Gala tickets are $120 at yukontickets.com. We want to make this event as inclusive as possible. As a result of the generosity of sponsors, a limited number of reduced rate tickets are available to Yukon artists and people with low income. Get your Gala tickets now!
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
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
2023 Yukon Prize Jurors Announced!
The Yukon Prize Committee is pleased to announce the jurors for the 2023 Yukon Prize:
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 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 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 Joseph Tisiga
