The Sobey Art Award, Canada's top contemporary art prize, has announced its six finalists for 2025: Tarralik Duffy, Tania Willard, Chukwudubem Ukaigwe, Sandra Brewster, Swapnaa Tamhane, and Hangama Amiri. Each represents a different region of Canada and will receive C$25,000, with the winner taking home C$100,000 on November 8 at the National Gallery of Canada. The finalists were selected by a jury including past winner Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and international juror Carla Acevedo-Yates, among others.
The award matters because it provides substantial financial support—C$465,000 total—and national visibility through an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada, making it one of the richest art prizes globally. It also highlights the diversity of Canadian contemporary art, with artists working across media from textiles to video, and addressing themes of Indigenous resurgence, diaspora identity, and experimental futurism. The prize underscores Canada's commitment to recognizing artistic excellence across its vast geographic and cultural landscape.