Karen Stentaford wins the 16th annual Scotiabank Photography Award

TORONTO, May 21, 2026 /CNW/ - Karen Stentaford is the winner of the 16^th annual Scotiabank Photography Award.

As winner of the prestigious Award, Stentaford will receive a $50,000 cash prize, a solo Primary Exhibition at The Image Centre, and a published book of her work, designed by Barr Gilmore and distributed internationally.

"Congratulations to Karen Stentaford, winner of the 16th annual Scotiabank Photography Award," said Jacqui Allard, Group Head, Global Wealth Management, Scotiabank. "This award recognizes artists whose work expands possibilities of photography while contributing meaningfully to contemporary cultural conversations. Karen's practice reflects a remarkable sensitivity to landscape, memory, and perception, inviting viewers into moments of quiet attention and reflection. We are proud to support the continued presentation of her work through the upcoming exhibition and publication."

The Scotiabank Photography Award recognizes the achievements of established mid-to-late career artists, by engaging Canadians and raising awareness through photographic art of the issues and forces of our time. The Award was co-founded by Scotiabank and Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky with a goal of recognizing and accelerating artists' careers as they reach the next level of national and international recognition.

"I'm pleased to congratulate Karen Stentaford as the recipient of this year's Scotiabank Photography Award," said Edward Burtynsky, co-founder of the Scotiabank Photography Award and jury chair. "Her commitment to large format photography and a slower, more deliberate way of seeing invites a deeper engagement with the image—one rooted in patience, attention, and care. Through her work, the connections between environment and memory are rendered with quiet intensity, revealing how landscape holds both personal and collective histories. In an age of accelerated image-making, her practice is a powerful reminder of the value of close looking and the enduring resonance of the photographic medium. I look forward to seeing her work further realized through the exhibition and accompanying book."

Lori Blondeau, Sara Cwynar, Rosalie Favell, and Sandra Semchuk were also finalists for the 2026 Award and will each receive cash prizes of $10,000. The 2026 Scotiabank Photography Award Nominees represent the result of an annual Canada-wide search for excellence. The Scotiabank Photography Award is peer-reviewed at every stage of the nomination and adjudication process, and nominees must meet eligibility criteria.

The 2026 Scotiabank Photography Award jury includes:

• Edward Burtynsky, Artist, Jury Chair
• Andrea Kunard, Senior Curator of Photographs, National Gallery
• Mireille Eagan, Curator of Contemporary Art, The Rooms
• Zoë Tousignant, Curator of Photography, McCord Stewart Museum

Dawit L. Petros, winner of the 2025 Scotiabank Photography Award, has a solo Primary Exhibition at the Toronto Image Centre, which will be on view from May 6 through August 1, 2026.

For more information about the Scotiabank Photography Award, please visit www.scotiabankphotoaward.com.

About Scotiabank 
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SOURCE Scotiabank

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