Reminder – Call for Applications: 2025 Joseph Plaskett Postgraduate Award in Painting

The Joe Plaskett Foundation

Chantal Khoury (2023 Plaskett Award Recipient), Offering, 2024, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Barrett Gallery.

Applications to the $65,000 Joseph Plaskett Postgraduate Award in Painting Are Open Until May 4, 2025

Since February 1, 2025, eligible candidates can submit their application using the online application portal on the Joe Plaskett Foundation website. After creating an account on the online application portal, candidates must complete and submit their application by May 4, 2025, 11:59pm, Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Once submitted, applications can no longer be updated.

Award

The Plaskett Award Recipient will receive $65,000 to live, create artwork and/or travel outside of Canada for one year. For some examples of projects and experiences from past Recipients of the Plaskett and Petry Awards, please refer to the Testimonials page on the Joe Plaskett Foundation website. In addition, the Plaskett Award Recipient will have their works showcased at the Joe Plaskett Foundation booth at Art Toronto (October 23-26, 2025), worth an additional value of approximately $10,000.

The Joe Plaskett Foundation was established in 2004 by the artist Joseph Plaskett (1918 – 2014) to facilitate the selection of a recipient for the Plaskett Award. Starting in 2023, the Plaskett Award switched to a biennial schedule and increased the award value to $65,000.

Eligibility

To meet the criteria of eligibility for the Plaskett Award, the candidate has to be:

1. a Canadian citizen (permanent residents are not eligible);
2. a visual artist in the field of painting;
3. an MFA student in one of the following situations:
   ◦  who has been accepted into an MFA program;
   ◦  who is currently in an MFA program;
   ◦  who has graduated from an MFA program within the last 24 months. (Please contact us at application@joeplaskett.com if you have any questions).
4. willing to live, travel, and create artwork abroad for a minimum of one year.

The Joe Plaskett Foundation is very flexible regarding when the stay abroad will take place. Recipients may choose to take a leave of absence from their university, or they may defer the award for a year. For more information, please refer to the Eligibility page on the Joe Plaskett Foundation website.

Chantal Khoury (2023 Plaskett Award Recipient), Eternal Steed, 2024, oil on canvas, 72 x 84 in. Image courtesy of the artist and Nicodim Gallery.

Application Requirements

To complete their application, candidates have to submit, either in English or in French:

1. a completed application form, including their contact information, their MFA status, and contact information for the person submitting a reference letter;
2. a brief artist statement and a description of how the Plaskett Award will be used to develop their artistic practice;
3. 15 images of recent works (from the past 3 years), including some general views (showing the scale of the work and how it relates to space) and detail views (highlighting the painting materiality);
4. one (1) official document (for example: an official letter from the university registrar) confirming their MFA status;
5. one (1) letter of reference. Based on their situation, candidates should ask the appropriate referee to send their letter of reference directly to the Joe Plaskett Foundation:
   ◦  if currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a MFA program: the referee should be their MFA advisor; or an MFA faculty member who is familiar with their work;
   ◦  if accepted to an MFA program: the referee should be an art professional who is familiar with their work, or an instructor from their BFA program.

For more information, please refer to the Application Overview page on the Joe Plaskett Foundation website. Additional information for referees is available on the Reference Letter Guidelines page.

How to Submit

Candidates can submit their application using the online portal on the Joe Plaskett Foundation website. After creating an account and confirming their email address, the application components are separated into multiple steps that can be completed one at a time. After the application deadline of May 4, every application will be processed and candidates will receive an email confirming that their application is complete (or a request to complete their application with the missing information). Candidates are also notified by email once their referee has submitted a reference letter for them.

Questions?

Candidates with questions regarding their application can contact the Joe Plaskett Foundation by email at application@joeplaskett.com. Likewise, candidates who expect some delays in obtaining some of the required documents to complete their application are encouraged to email the Joe Plaskett Foundation.

Selection Process

The Plaskett Award Recipient is selected by three Canadian artists or curators of significant reputation who review all the applications received; in an effort to accurately represent the variety of viewpoints in Canadian painting, a Coast-to-Coast Jury brings together experts from different regions. To learn more about the juries from previous years, please refer to the jury page on the Joe Plaskett Foundation website.

Application Deadline: May 4, 2025, 11:59pm PDT

Reference Letter Submission Deadline: May 11, 2025, 11:59pm PDT

For additional information or questions, please contact:
application@joeplaskett.com

Joe Plaskett Foundation
www.joeplaskett.com
info@joeplaskett.com

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