Call for Submissions: The Kingston Prize 2026

Canada’s National Portrait Competition (now annual!)

2015 Winner: Jen Mann, Self Portrait as a Reflection, oil on canvas, 152 x 152 cm

Call for Submissions: The Kingston Prize 2026
Canada’s National Portrait Competition

Submission Deadline: September 1, 2026, 11:50pm ET

The Kingston Prize, Canada’s national portrait competition, is now accepting submissions and for the first time, the Prize will be awarded annually (formerly biennial).

Founded in 2005, the Kingston Prize celebrates contemporary portraiture and is dedicated to building a lasting archive of Canadians by Canadians. Artists from across the country are invited to submit portraits of Canadian citizens or permanent residents grounded in real-life connections and encounters.

Thirty finalists will be selected by a distinguished jury, with works featured in an exhibition in Toronto in November 2026. The Kingston Prize offers a significant platform for exposure, dialogue, and recognition within Canada’s visual arts community.

The artist of the winning portrait receives a $25,000 award, with two honourable mentions earning $3,000 each and a People’s Choice Award of $1,000.

2025 Finalist: Laura Lewis, Malaikah in Ostrich Feathers, oil on canvas, 183 x 153 cm

Eligibility

1. The competition for the Kingston Prize is open to Canadian artists, 18 years of age and over on the date of the deadline for entries.
2. For the purposes of this competition, “Canadian” shall, in every instance, be interpreted to mean a person having Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status.
3. Members of the Board of The Kingston Prize Association and the Jury are not eligible.
4. Each artist may enter one portrait.
5. For the purposes of the Competition, “portrait” shall be interpreted to mean a painting or drawing of a specific person or persons. Group portraits and self-portraits are acceptable.
6. To be eligible for the Competition, an entry must meet the following conditions:
   ◦  It must be a portrait of a specific Canadian person or persons based on a meeting between the subject and artist. Photographs of the subject taken by the artist may be used for reference purpose;
   ◦  It must be executed in traditional painting or drawing media, including oil, tempura, acrylic, watercolour, ink, graphite, charcoal, on canvas, paper or panel. Works that incorporate non-traditional materials as a primary or dominant component shall not be considered.
   ◦  It must be produced between September 2, 2025 and September 1, 2026.
   ◦  The dimensions, including frame (if any), must not exceed 150 centimetres height x 150 centimetres width x 10 centimetres depth. Size limitations will be strictly enforced.
   ◦  It must be available for showing during the Exhibition. It is the artist’s responsibility to ensure that the original work is available, whether or not they are the owner of the work.

Visit the website for a complete list of submission requirements.

2011 Finalist: Roselina Hung, Coda: Self-Portrait in the Studio, oil on wood panel, 40 x 50 cm

Submission Deadline: September 1, 2026, 11:59pm ET

For additional information or questions, please contact:
info@kingstonprize.ca

The Kingston Prize
kingstonprize.ca

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