Exciting News: Meet the Six Finalists for the 2025 Yukon Prize for Visual Arts!
Images above (left to right) – Top row: Jeneen Frei Njootli, Jane Isakson, Meshell Melvin. Bottom row: Randi Nelson, Aubyn O’Grady, Jackie Olson.
The Yukon Prize jury has selected the six talented artists who are the finalists for the 2025 Yukon Prize for Visual Arts!
Meet the Finalists:
- Jane Isakson (Whitehorse, YT)
- Meshell Melvin (Whitehorse, YT)
- Randi Nelson (Secwépemc artist from St’uxwtéws First Nation, Whitehorse, YT)
- Jeneen Frei Njootli (Vuntut Gwitchin artist, Old Crow, YT)
- Aubyn O’Grady (Dawson, YT)
- Jackie Olson (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, Dawson, YT)
These artists were selected from an incredible pool of 60 Yukon-based applicants by an esteemed jury of Canadian arts professionals:
- Jean-François Bélisle, Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada
- Sarah Moore Fillmore, CEO of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
- Dr. Heather Igloliorte, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Decolonial and Transformational Indigenous Art Practices and Professor, Visual Arts Department, University of Victoria, Inuk-Newfoundlander, Nunatsiavut
From our wonderful jury:
“I am honoured to be a returning juror for the 2025 Yukon Prize. The innovation and resourcefulness of artists in the Yukon is always inspiring. They have the most beautiful and bountiful land at their doorsteps, and it shows up in their artistic expressions, be it through inspired beadwork, compelling soundscapes, installation art, or landscape depictions.”
Dr. Heather Igloliorte, Professor at the University of Victoria and
Canada Excellence Research Chair in Indigenous Art Practices
“The works of these artists act as a starting point – it’s taking Northern voices and bringing them somewhere else. I don’t know how the works from the Finalists would happen anywhere else except in the Yukon”
Jean-François Bélisle, Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada
See the stunning work of our finalists!
Images (left to right) – Top row: Jeneen Frei Njootli, Improper functioning of the heart, 2024; Jane Isakson, Never Ending Story, 2022; Meshell Melvin, Invocation to the Chinook of Chu Niikwan, 2019. Bottom row: Randi Nelson, Scwet̓mín̓ – Hide, 2024; Aubyn O’Grady, Dawson City League of Lady Wrestlers, 2013-2017; Jackie Olson, Kʼàyʼ / Willow Sculptures, 2021.
Want to see more? Detailed images from the Finalists’ portfolios, along with their artist bios and statements can be found by clicking on their name above.
What’s next?
All six finalists will be featured in a curated group exhibition at the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery, opening September 11, 2025. The winner of the Yukon Prize will be revealed during the Yukon Prize Festival Weekend, October 3-5, 2025. This exciting weekend will be filled with art events, most of which are free to attend! The celebration culminates in the Yukon Prize Celebration Evening on October 4, where we’ll announce the recipient of the grand prize. Stay Tuned—Tickets for the Yukon Prize Celebration Evening go on sale on April 15th at the Yukon Arts Centre box office.
In the Giving Spirit?
To make a charitable donation online to support Yukon art and artists through the Yukon Prize, please donate through our partner, the Yukon Arts Foundation, via Canada Helps.
You will receive a charitable donation receipt immediately by email from Canada Helps, identifying your support for the Yukon Prize for Visual Arts.