Three artists – Vancouver's Dustin Brons, Chris Donovan, of Saint John, N.B., and Toronto-based Dainesha Nugent-Palache – are the winners of this year's New Generation Photography Award.
They each take home a cash prize of $10,000 and will be included in two upcoming group exhibitions – one at Toronto's Contact Photography Festival and the other at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
Brons holds a Master's degree in fine arts from the University of California San Diego and recently participated in the Whitney Independent Study Program in New York.
Donovan's practice focuses on the intersection of community and industry. He is currently pursuing an MFA in documentary media at Ryerson University in Toronto.
Nugent-Palache has participated in numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally and was part of a CBC COVID-19 residencies series.
Established in 2017, the award celebrates Canadians 35 and under working in lens-based art. Canadian art experts submit nominations for the long list and three winners are selected by a jury of photography experts. This year's jury was Andrea Kunard, a curator at the National Gallery; artists Shelley Niro and Noah Friebel; and Lorraine Gilbert, director of the visual arts department at the University of Ottawa.
Recipients are mentored by the curatorial team at the National Gallery and their work is included in artist talks, exhibition tours and educational programming.
Source: National Gallery of Canada