The Canada Council for the Arts has unveiled the winners of the 2025 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts.
Eight people have been recognized this year for “their exceptional careers and remarkable contributions to visual arts, media arts and fine crafts,” according to the news release.
Each will receive $25,000 and a bronze medallion, and they have all had video portraits created by Canadian filmmakers.
Peter Pierobon, a furniture designer from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, is the winner of the Saidye Bronfman Award.
Daina Augaitis, a Vancouver curator, has been presented with the Outstanding Contribution Award.
Artistic Achievement Awards have been presented to visual artist Thaddeus Hołownia (Jolicure, New Brunswick); Bruce LaBruce, a filmmaker, writer, artist, photographer (Toronto, Ontario); visual artist Kent Monkman (Toronto, Ontario); Clive Robertson, a visual and media artist, cultural critic, historian (Kingston, Ontario); Sandra Rodriguez, a multidisciplinary artist, emerging arts, (Montréal, Quebec); Jin-me Yoon, a visual artist (Vancouver, British Columbia.)
This year’s Saidye Bronfman Award peer assessment committee members included Corrine Hunt, Chung-Im Kim and Marko Savard.
Artistic Achievement Award and Outstanding Contribution Award peer assessment committee members included Lori Blondeau, Monika Kin Gagnon, Dana Inkster, Hans Wendt and Alex Williams.
“Established by the Bronfman family in 1977, the Saidye Bronfman Award is the most prestigious distinction in fine crafts in Canada. Every year, the Canadian Museum of History acquires either a single work or a series of works by the winner,” according to the news release.
The Outstanding Contribution Award is given to Canadians who have made an exceptional contribution to visual arts, media arts or fine crafts.
“The Artistic Achievement Awards are given to artists in recognition of their body of work,” according to the release. “It honours their contribution to contemporary visual or media arts.”
“In discovering the latest winners of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, we get a glimpse into the tremendous and diverse talent that exists in Canada,” said Canada Council for the Arts Director and CEO Michelle Chawla.
“The common thread among the exceptional artists that are being recognized, is how deeply connected they are — socially, artistically, and geographically — to their respective communities.
“In their own way, each one of these eight winners is building, advocating, supporting, and representing their experiences through art; their work connects us to each other, sparks conversations and gives us new perspectives on the impact and relevance of art and culture to society.”
The deadline for the 2026 awards nominations is Oct. 5, 2025.
Source: Canada Council for the Arts
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