All competitions · Prize / award
Sobey Art Award 2026
National Gallery of Canada / Sobey Art Foundation · Ottawa, Canada
Canada's leading contemporary art award, administered by the National Gallery of Canada with the Sobey Art Foundation. Nomination-based; CAD 465,000 total, including CAD 100,000 to the winner.
Your eligibility
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Who can enter
- Location
- Canada (by residence or nationality)
- Age
- No age limit
- Career stage
- Any
- Mediums
- Any medium
- Also
- Nomination only; no open entry. For Canadian artists (citizenship/residency criteria set by NGC).
About
The Sobey Art Award, established in 2002, recognises Canadian contemporary visual artists. It is jointly administered by the National Gallery of Canada and the Sobey Art Foundation. Each year a longlist of 30 artists from six regions and a shortlist of six are selected from nominations.
Artists do not enter their own work; the Gallery runs an annual call for nominations and a jury selects the longlist and shortlist.
In 2026 the longlist was announced 16 April and the shortlist 26 May; the shortlist exhibition runs at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, from 3 September 2026 to 3 January 2027, and the winner is announced 14 November 2026. The winner receives CAD 100,000, shortlisted artists CAD 25,000 each and longlisted artists CAD 10,000 each.