RBC Canadian Painting Competition
The RBC Canadian Painting Competition was an open competition for emerging Canadian artists that was established in 1999. The RBC Canadian Painting Competition is supported by the Canadian Art Foundation, the publisher of Canadian Art. Initially naming three regional winners, since 2004 there were one national winner and two honourable mentions. The first two competitions had only winner and runner-up. The competition had 15 finalists, five from three regions in Canada, Eastern Canada, Central Canada, Western Canada. Three regional juries convened to determine one national winner and two honourable mentions from the 15 finalists. The national winner received a purchase prize of $25,000, the two honourable mentions each received $15,000 and the remaining 12 finalists receive $2,500 each. The winning work and the honourable mentions became part of the RBC Corporate Art Collection which holds more than 4,500 works. In 2016, 586 works were submitted. In 2008 an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal provided an overview of the first ten years of the competition. The RBC concluded the RBC Canadian Painting Competition in 2019.
1999
Canadian Emerging Artist Prize- Winner: Jennifer Walton
- Runner-up: Jeff Willmore
Jury
- Bill Huffman
- James Patten
2000
- Winner: Matthew Carver
- Runner-up: Catherine Beaudette
Jury
- Andrea Bolley
- Gary Michael Dault
- Bill Huffman
- David P. Solcox
- Carl Skelton
2001
Finalists
Western
- Brigitte Dion
- Kristina Kudryk
- Sharron Labatt
- Gwenessa Lam
- Ben Reeves
Central
- Mona Shahid
- Patrice Stanley
- Marian Wihak
- Regina Williams
- Shaan Syed
Eastern
- Reneé Duval
- Eric Le Ménédeu
- Joanne Poirier
- Fionnuala Reynolds
- Joseph Siddiqi
Jury
Western
- Robin Laurence
- Tracey Lawrence
- Christina Ritchie
Central
- Gillian MacKay
- Aaron Milrad
- Pari Nadimi
Eastern
- Alex Colville
- Jerry Ferguson
- Jan Peacock
2002
Finalists
Western
- Chris Bennet
- Brigitte Dion
- Holger Kalberg
- Séamus Kealy
- Bernadette Phan
Central
- Melissa Doherty
- Danny Hussey
- JJ Lee
- Mary McKenzie
- Kelly Palmer
Eastern
- Carmelo Blandino
- Dennis Eksted
- Camille Girard-Ruel
- Asa Johnna Westin
Jury
Western
- Chris Cran
- Catherine Crowston
- Mary Scott
Central
- Eliza Griffiths
- Leo Kamen
- Kitty Scott
Eastern
- Stéphane Aquin
- Roger Bellemare
- Janet Werner
2003
Finalists
Western
- Chris Dorosz
- July Duschenes
- Cliff Eyland
- Val Nelson
- Jeff Tutt
Central
- Martin Bennett
- Jordan Broadworth
- Chris Rogers
- Shaan Syed
- Pearl Van Geest
Eastern
- Martin Brouillette
- Peter Dykhuis
- Caroline Gagnon
- Robert Truszkowski
- Marilyn McAvoy
Jury
Western
- Bob Boyer
- Wanda Koop
- Paul Kuhn
Central
- Robin Metcalfe
- Sarah Milroy
- Kim Moodie
- Joanne Tod
Eastern
- Jocelyne Aumon
- Ingrid Jenkner
- Jeffrey Spalding
2004
Finalists
Western
- Monique Blom
- John Eisler
- Mark Mullin
- Jim Park
- Brad Phillips
Central
- Andrew Morrow
- Soheila Esfahani
- Alexander Irving
- Dionne Simpson
- Shaan Syed
Eastern
- Adele Chong
- Jennifer Dorner
- Patrick Lundeen
- Andrea Mortson
- Laurel Smith
Jury
Western
- Kent Archer, director and curator, Kenderdine Art Gallery Saskatoon, SK
- Riko Nakasone
- Jane Ash Poitras
Central
- Jan Allen
- Will Gorlitz
- Olga Korper
Eastern
- Pierre Dorion
- Gemey Kelly
- Gordon Laurin
2005
Finalists
Western
- Chris Millar
- Matthew Brown
- Holger Kalberg
- Krisdy Shindler
- Étienne Zack
Central
- Chris Down
- Jason Gringler
- Meghan McKnight
- Kristine Moran
- Nick Ostoff
Eastern
- Paul Berhardt
- Yang Hong
- Chris Kline
- Wil Murray
- Mathew Reichertz
Jury
Western
- Lisa Baldissera
- Yves Trépanier
- Landon MacKenzie
Central
- Shirley Madill
- Linda Book
- Ben Reeves
Eastern
- Marc Mayer
- René Blouin
- Alex Livingston
2006
Finalists
Western
- Abbas Akhavan
- Matthew Brown
- Dave & Jenn
- Holger Kalberg
- Mélanie Rocan Honourable mention
Central
- Adam Brickell
- Kim Dorland
- Martin Golland
- Dax Morrison
- Fançois Xavier Saint-Pierre
Eastern
- Nicolas Grenier
- Dil Hildebrand
- Jonathan Johnson
- Daniel Langevin
- Luce Meunier
Jury
Western
- Wayne Baerwaldt
- Eleanor Bond
- Andy Sylvester
Central
- John Brown
- Barbara Fischer
- Patrizia Libralato
Eastern
- Shauna McCabe
- Lilian Rodriguez
- Eric Simon
2007
Finalists
Western
- Eli Bornowsky
- Arabella Campbell
- Angus Ferguson
- Saun Morin
- Chris Millar
Central
- Melanie Authier
- Kim Dorland
- Jennifer Lefort
- Anders Oinonen
- Ben Pinkney
Eastern
- Elizabeth Grant
- Nam Nguyen
- Aleksandra Rdest
- Mélanie Rocan
- Justin Stephens
Jury
Western
- Paul Butler
- Ron Moppett
- Reid Sheir
Central
- John Hartman
- Ben Portis
- Mary Sue Rankin
Eastern
- Peter Dykhuis
- Pierre-François Ouelette
- Michele Thériault
2008
Finalists
Western
- Eli Bornowsky
- Andrew Dadson
- Jeremy Hof
- Collin Johanson
- Lorenzo Pepito
Central
- Martin Golland
- Sarah Jane Gorliz
- Amanda Reeves
- Drew Simpson
- Emmy Skensved
Eastern
- Patrick Howlett
- Rick Leong
- Wil Murray
- Jeanie Riddle
- Justin Stephens
Jury
Western
- Neil Campbell
- Monte Clarke
- Kitty Scott
Central
- Jessica Bradley
- James Lahey
- David Liss
Eastern
- James Baird
- Loise Déry
- Pierre Dorion
2009
Finalists
Western Canada
- Noah Becker – Victoria
- Brenda Draney – Vancouver, BC for Aim is Important
- Dave & Jenn – Calgary
- Ryan Peter – Vancouver
- Joseph Tisiga – Whitehorse
Central Canada
- Sarah Cale – Toronto
- Janice Colbert – Toronto
- Scott Everingham – Toronto
- Martin Golland – Toronto, ON for Residential Night Vulture
- Sasha Pierce – Toronto, ON Brown
Eastern Canada
- Julie Beugin – Montreal
- Anthony Burnham – Montreal
- Pierre Durette – Montreal
- Daniel Hutchinson – Halifax
- Nathalie Thibault – Quebec
Jury
Western
- Ken Lum, Artist, Vancouver
- Nancy Tousley, Senior Art Writer, Calgary Herald
- Kathleen Ritter, Assistant Curator, Vancouver Art Gallery
Central
- Benjamin Diaz, Director, Diaz Contemporary, Toronto
- Josée Drouin-Brisebois, Curator, Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Canada
- John Kissick, Artist & Director, School of Fine Art and Music, University of Guelph
Eastern
- Victoria Page, Owner, Gallery Page and Strange, Halifax
- Nathalie de Blois, Curator of Contemporary Art, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
- Etienne Zack, Artist, Montreal
2010
Finalists
Western
- Eli Bornowsky – Vancouver
- Aaron Carpenter – Vancouver
- Megan Hepburn – Vancouver
- Laura Piasta – Coquitlam
- Melanie Rocan – Winnipeg
Central
- Sarah Cale – Toronto
- Scott Everingham – Toronto
- Jon Reed – Toronto, ON for Stato di Impotenza
- Mark Stebbins – Toronto, ON for ''Data Centers'
- Beth Stuart – Toronto
Eastern
- Hugo Bergeron – Montreal
- Scott Bertram – Halifax
- Benjamin Klein – Montreal
- Alexis Lavoie – Montreal, QC for Restants
- Rick Leong – Montreal
Jury
Western
- Renée Van Halm, Vancouver artist
- Jennifer Papararo, curator at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver
- Mary Reid, curator of contemporary art and photography at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Central
- Joe Friday, Ottawa collector
- Joanne Tod, Toronto artist
- Michael Gibson, director of Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
Eastern
- Mathew Reichertz, artist, Halifax
- Simon Blais, owner Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal
- Paulette Gagnon, director of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal
2011
Finalists
Western Canada
- Rebecca Brewer – Vancouver, BC for Beuys painting
- Thomas Chisholm – Victoria, BC
- Bitsy Knox – Vancouver, BC
- Deirdre McAdams – Vancouver, BC for Blotto
- Krisjanis Katkins-Gorsline – Winnipeg, MB
Central Canada
- Jessica Groome – Guelph, ON
- Tristram Lansdowne – Toronto, ON
- Daniel Hutchinson – Toronto, ON
- Kim Neudorf – London, ON
- Beth Stuart – Toronto, ON for 02, from Doppelbanger series
Eastern Canada
- Julie Trudel – Montreal, PQ
- Amy Schissel – Gatineau, PQ
- Jared Peters – Saint John, NB
- Ianick Raymond – Montreal, PQ
- Adam Gunn – Halifax, NS
Jury
Western
- Elizabeth McIntosh, Senior Artist and Associate Professor, Emily Carr University, Vancouver
- Bruce Grenville, Senior Curator, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver
- Diana Sherlock, Curator & Visual Arts Writer, Calgary
Central
- Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director of Curatorial Affairs, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
- Christopher Cutts, Director, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto
- Patrick Howlett, Senior Artist, London
Eastern
- Donald Browne, Director, Galerie Donald Browne, Montreal
- Suzanne Funnell, Associate Professor, NSCAD University, Halifax
- Francois LeTourneux, Associate Curator, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Montreal
2012
Finalists
- Betino Assa – Montreal, QC
- Ahbyah Baker – Vancouver
- Thomas Chisholm – Victoria
- Jordy Hamilton – Vancouver
- Andrea Kastner – Edmonton
- Katie Lyle – Vancouver, BC for White Night
Central
- Colin Muir Dorward – Ottawa
- Aleksander Hardashnakov – Toronto
- David Hucal – Guelph
- Vanessa Maltese – Toronto, ON for Balaclava
- Jenna Faye Powell.
Eastern
- Betino Assa – Montreal for Gathering in the forest, 12 am
- Philip Delisle
- Nicolas Rancellucci
- Corri-Lynn Tetz
- Julie Trudel.
Jury
- Sandra Meigs - Senior Artist and Professor of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, Victoria
- Mark Mullin - Senior Artist, Calgary
- Nigel Prince, executive director of the in Vancouver
- Clint Roenisch - Founder, Clint Roenisch Gallery, Toronto
- Jonathan Shaughnessy – associate curator, contemporary art at the
- Monica Tap - Senior Artist and Associate Professor, University of Guelph, Guelph
- Roger Bellemare - Gallery Director, Galerie Roger Bellemare, Montreal
- Robin Metcalfe - Director and Curator, Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, Halifax
- Janet Werner - Senior Artist, Montreal
2013
Finalists
Western Canada
- Jessica Bell – Vancouver
- Colleen Heslin – Vancouver for Almost young, wild and free, 2013
- Brian Kokoska – Vancouver/New York
- Rachelle Sawatsky – Vancouver/Los Angeles
- Sean Weisgerber – Saskatoon
Central Canada
- Jennifer Carvalho – Toronto
- Colin Muir Dorward – Ottawa, ON for Labyrinthineon, 2012
- Scott Everingham – Toronto
- Laura Findlay – Guelph, Ont.
- Neil Harrison – Toronto, ON for Fig.13 Knowledge, 2013
Eastern Canada
- Brendan Flanagan – Montreal
- Adam Gunn – Halifax
- Nathaniel Hurtubise – Montreal
- Jessica Mensch – Montreal/Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Aaron Weldon – Halifax
Jury
Western Canada
- Ian Wallace - Senior Artist, Vancouver
- Holger Kalberg - Artist and Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
- Ryan Doherty - Curator, Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge
Central Canada
- Sarah Milroy - Art critic, Toronto
- Daniel Faria - Gallery Director, Daniel Faria Gallery, Toronto
- Carol Wainio - Artist and Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa, Ottawa
Eastern Canada
- Stéphane Aquin – curator of contemporary art Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal
- Pan Wendt – curator Confederation Centre Art Gallery
- Isa Tousignant – writer and editor
2014
Finalists
Western Canada
- Ashleigh Bartlett – Calgary, AB for Ballet Duo
- Ufuk Gueray - Winnipeg, MB for Market, 2014 B
- Tiziana La Melia – Vancouver, BC for Hanging on to the part, 2014
- Laura Piasta – Vancouver, BC
- Robert Taite – Winnipeg, MB
Central Canada
- Jennifer Carvalho – Toronto, ON
- Wallis Cheung – Toronto, ON
- James Gardner – Toronto, ON
- Gavin Lynch – Ottawa, ON\
- Megan McCabe – Toronto, ON
Eastern Canada
- Carly Butler – Halifax, NS
- Teto Elsiddique – Halifax, NS
- Karine Fréchette – Montreal, QC
- Nicolas Lachance – Montreal, QC index no. 3 The book of Empathy, 2014
- Elysanne Tremblay – Montreal, QC
Jury
West
- Naomi Potter, Director and Curator, Esker Foundation, Calgary
- Melanie O'Brian, Director, SFU Galleries, Burnaby
- Catriona Jeffries, Owner and Director, Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver
Central
- Melissa Bennett, Curator of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton
- Robert Houle, Senior Artist, Toronto
- Will Kucey, Owner and Director, LE Gallery, Toronto
East
- Anthony Burnham, Artist, Montreal
- Mark Lanctôt, Curator, Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Montréal
- Deborah Carver, Owner and Director, Studio 21 Fine Art Gallery, Halifax
2015
Finalists
Western
- Tristan Unrau – Vancouver, BC
- Robert Taite – Winnipeg, MB
- Russell Leng – Vancouver, BC
- Megan Hepburn – Vancouver, BC
- Simon deBrée – Vancouver, BC/Stockholm, Sweden
Central
- Jessica Bell - Ottawa, ON
- Patrick Cruz – Guelph for Time allergy, 2015
- Hanna Hur - Toronto, ON/Los Angeles, CA
- Caroline Larsen - Toronto, ON
- Claire Scherzinger – Toronto, ON for My Contribution To The Many Paintings Of Pots And Plants, 2015
Eastern
- Andrew Maize - Lunenberg, NS
- John Player - Montreal, QC
- Cindy Phenix - Montreal, QC
- Paul Hardy - Montreal QC
- Hangama Amiri – Halifax, NS Island of Dreams, 2015 Halifax, NS
Jury
East
- Hugues Charbonneau – Director, Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Montreal
- Melanie Colosimo – Director, Anna Leonowens Gallery, NSCAD University, Halifax
- John Zeppetelli – Director & Chief Curator, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Montreal
Central
- Iga Janik – Curator, Cambridge Galleries, Cambridge
- Georgiana Uhlyarik - Associate Curator, Canadian Art, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
- Jinny Yu – Artist & Associate Professor, Department of Visual Arts, University of Ottawa, Ottawa
West
- Eli Bornowsky – Artist, RBC Canadian Painting Competition Finalist, Vancouver
- Garry Neil Kennedy – Senior Artist, Vancouver
- Lisa Kehler – Director, Lisa Kehler Art + Projects, Winnipeg
2016
Finalists
Western
- Cameron Forbes – Saskatoon, SK for Maritime Plaza Hotel, Window Set 2, 2016
- Brian Hunter – Winnipeg, MB for Two empty trays mounted vertically, 2015
- Brian Kokoska – Vancouver, BC/New York, NY for Dancing to the Silence of your Heartbeat, 2016
- M.E. Sparks – Vancouver, BC for Afterimage, 2016
- Angela Teng – Vancouver, BC for Jump Shot, 2016
Central
- Wallis Cheung – Toronto, ON for Frame as void, 2016
- Alex Fischer – Toronto, ON Pet, for Casper and Hesperi, 2016
- Stephanie Hier – Toronto, ON for Break like the wind, 2015
- Hanna Hur – Los Angeles, CA for The Fool, 2016
- Keita Morimoto – Toronto, ON for Aya in Tokyo, 2015
Eastern
- Nika Fontaine – Berlin, DE for Schnell Schnell, 2015
- Andrew Maize – Lunenburg, NS for THIS TOWN USED TO BE MOSTLY WHITE. NOW IT IS COLOURFUL, 2016
- Justine Skahan – Gatineau, QC for Home, 2016
- Geetha Thurairajah – Sackville, NB for Hotlines, 2016
- Ambera Wellmann – Guelph, ON for Wunde, 2015
Jury
Western Canada
- Sophie Brodovitch - Director, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver
- Tammi Campbell - Artist, Saskatoon
- Reid Shier - Director/Curator, Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver
Central Canada
- Kent Monkman - Artist, Toronto
- Georgia Scherman - Director, Georgia Scherman Projects, Toronto
- Beth Stuart - Artist & 2010 & 2011 RBC Canadian Painting Competition Alumni, Toronto
Eastern Canada
- Gemey Kelly - Director/Curator, Owens Gallery, Mt. Allison University, Sackville
- Harold Klunder - Artist, Montreal
- Saelan Twerdy - Art Critic, Montreal
2017
Finalists
- Michael Freeman Badour for Patrick's Boots, 2017
- Amanda Boulos for Duckie Wants Water, 2017
- Teto Elsiddique – Halifax, NS for neckrings, a breezy thing, 2017
- Cindy Ji Hye Kim for Conspiracy Theory, 2017
- David Kaarsemaker for Portage 1, 2017
- Wei Li for Obsessiveness and excitement, never growing out of them, 2017
- Laura Payne for Enneadec II, 2017
- Veronika Pausova – Toronto, ON for Typography, 2017
- Laura Rokas-Bérubé for Paint by Number 7, 2017
- M.E. Sparks for Hollow Dog, 2017
- Kizi Spielmann Rose for Sun and a Tide Pool, 2017
- Angela Teng for Line Dance, 2016
- Joani Tremblay The Lure of the Local Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society, 2017
- Tristan Unrau for Nun, After Pasolini, 2017
- Ambera Wellman – Guelph, ON for Temper Ripened, 2007
2018
Finalists
- Amanda Boulos for In the Morning
- Keiran Brennan Hinton for Hotel Room
- Krystle Coughlin for Untitled
- Sarah Davidson for the garden at night
- Angela Fermor for Portrait 7, Torso
- Karine Fréchette for Croissance 1
- Stephanie Hier for Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs
- Ally McIntyre for Coyote
- Emmanuel Osahor for Hiding Place
- Lauren Pelc-McArthur for Trop Trop
- geetha thurairajah or A complicated relationship with our past makes for better stories of a future
- Kizi Spielmann Rose for Swallowtail
- Joani Tremblay for The Mind at Three Miles an Hour
- Tristan Unrau for Doggy Dog Afternoon
- Joy Wong for Cotton and Cheese 1
Jury
- Natasha Chaykowski
- Mark Igloliorte
- Crystal Mowry
- Erin Stump
- Alexandra McIntosh
- Julie Trudel
- Cynthia Daignault