A total of $70,000 was awarded to recent art-school grads this week at the 12th annual BMO 1st Art! Invitational Student Art Competition.
Samuel de Lange, a recent graduate of the University of Guelph, receives $10,000 as the prize’s national winner.
Twelve regional winners also receive $5,000 each. These winners include Emmanuel Osahor from the University of Alberta; Isaac Thomas from the Emily Carr University of Art & Design; Katrina Marie Mendoza of the University of Manitoba; Sandra Racíne of the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design; Maria Mercer of the Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Adrienna Matzeg of the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design; Elijah Aitaok of Nunavut Arctic College; Lisa-Marie Bissonnette of OCAD University; Amy Wells of Holland College; Stéphanie Auger of Université Laval; Brandon Sieber of the University of Regina; and Lucy Koshan of the Yukon School of Visual Arts.
Winners are chosen from nominations by deans and instructors of undergraduate certificate, diploma and degree arts programs across Canada. Each dean or instructor is invited to select three graduating students who stood out among their peers for consideration in the award. A panel of judges then chooses the winners.
Works from all 13 of the BMO 1st Art! winners will be on display at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto from October 2 to 26, 2014.
