The Rules | The Yukon Prize for Visual Arts

Introduction

Yukon visual artists are invited to apply for the Yukon Prize for Visual Arts. This prestigious prize has been established to recognize excellence by Yukon visual artists and be a catalyst for the promotion of Yukon visual art across Canada.

The prize has three goals:

• To provide a significant financial prize ($20,000) to one Yukon artist annually that will help the artist focus full-time on creating art or advancing his/her artistic development;
• To promote Yukon art and Yukon artists outside the Yukon;
• To foster a culture of curatorial critique and discourse in the Yukon and encourage artists to be the best that they can possibly be.

A jury of distinguished visual arts professionals from across Canada will review all submissions and select up to six artists whose applications exemplify artistic excellence. Art works submitted for consideration from these six finalists will be included in a curated group exhibition in Whitehorse at the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery from September – November 2023. Once the work is on display, jury members will convene in Whitehorse and select the overall prizewinner. An event will be held to celebrate the artists and their work and to announce the winner.

The winner will receive $20,000 and the other finalists will receive $3,000 each.

CRITERIA FOR AWARDING THE PRIZE

The prize recognizes excellence by Yukon visual artists. It recognizes artists whose work demonstrates technical proficiency and reflects a unique artistic “voice” in theme, method or practice, referencing traditions and/or the contemporary realm.

IMPORTANT DATES

January 1, 2023 – Applications open
February 28, 2023 – Deadline to apply for Prize
March – April, 2023 – Jurying
May, 2023 – Longlist announced
June, 2023 – Up to six finalists announced
August 15, 2023 – Finalists deliver their work to the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery
September, 2023 – Show of finalists’ work opens at the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery
September 15 – 17, 2023 – Jurors travel to Whitehorse to select winner; Yukon Prize Recipient announced on Saturday, September 16, 2023; Artist talks and events all weekend.
September – November, 2023 – Show of finalists’ work at the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery
November, 2023 – Show closes; Viewers’ Choice award announced

ELIGIBILITY

ELIGIBILITY OF THE ARTIST

In order to be eligible, artists must be residents of the Yukon for at least two years immediately prior to the application deadline (February 28, 2023) and be engaged in creating and producing original works of art on a part-time or full-time basis. In recognition of the unique relationship which Yukon First Nations people have had with the land since time immemorial, Yukon First Nations artists who are not Yukon residents but who have maintained a significant connection to the Yukon are also eligible.

ELIGIBILITY OF THE ART

Artists should submit digital images of 4 to 8 works produced in the last 5 years immediately prior to the application date (February 28, 2023, i.e. works produced since February 28, 2018). A series can be considered one artwork if the pieces would normally be exhibited together. They must be original works of art such as (but not limited to): painting, carving, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, electronic media, photography, textiles, glass, regalia, jewelry and drawing, and should reflect the artist’s best work. Ideally the work, or similar pieces, will be available for an exhibit at the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery from September – November 2023, and potentially for other shows outside the Yukon.

ELIGIBILITY OF PAST YUKON PRIZE FINALISTS

Past finalists from Yukon Prize are eligible to apply. However past recipients of the Yukon Prize can only apply after ten years have passed.

PRIZE RULES AND HOW TO APPLY

Artists are strongly encouraged to apply online.

Alternatively, artists may submit paper applications (available on the website or from the Yukon Arts Centre) and send them to Mary Bradshaw, Yukon Arts Centre, Box 16 / C.P. 16 Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 5X9. These must be postmarked by February 21, 2023.

Completed applications and photos may also be emailed to paper-submission@yukonprize.ca.

Any non-digital submissions will be scanned for the jury.

The application form requires:

1. Your contact information, including your website or social media sites (if any)
2. Your confirmation that you have resided in the Yukon for the two years immediately prior to February 28, 2023, and that the artworks you are entering were produced during the five years immediately prior to February 28, 2023.
3. Your biography (maximum 150 words). This is your opportunity to tell us about yourself, including your artistic training, inspiration, media choice, or anything that you might like people to know about you and your art.
4. An artist’s statement (maximum 500 words). This should describe your artistic development, the works submitted and how your work reflects your artistic voice and engages with larger themes.
5. A copy of your Resumé/ Curriculum Vitae, which should include a history of any shows in which your work has been shown.

The application form requires that you upload one to three images of each of the four to eight artworks that form your entry in this competition.

• Image uploads should be labelled as: Artist’s last name, first name, title (number if more than one photo of same work is submitted), year completed. Example: Doe_ Jane_Sunrise on Lake_ 2 of 2_ 2019. Do not include special characters such as #,!, * or stray spaces in the file name. Doing so may prevent the file from uploading.
• Images should not exceed 3MB in jpg, tiff or png formats.
• Images should be clear and in focus. Please remember that this image represents your work.

Please provide the Title, Date, Medium, and Dimensions for each artwork in the space provided on the form. In addition, you are encouraged (but not required) to share the story behind each work of art.