Sami Tsang Wins the 2025 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics

Sami Tsang, Talking To You, Self-Betrayal; Saying Hi Is That Hard, 2023. Stoneware, glaze, colour slip, poly China silk. Comprised of 2 pieces: 76.2 x 52.1 x 36.8 cm and 63.5 x 29.2 x 39.4 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is thrilled to announce that Sami Tsang of Toronto, ON is the winner of the 25th Annual Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics. Tsang will receive a $10,000 prize, which will support the development of her career at this critical time.

The only national award for emerging ceramic artists in Canada, the Winifred Shantz Award is a prestigious honour. Presented through an ongoing partnership with The Keith & Winifred Shantz Fund for the Arts held at Waterloo Region Community Foundation, winners and finalists of this award are recognized as the best and brightest of the future of Canadian ceramic art.

We are pleased to celebrate this year’s Shantz Award runner-up, Corwyn Lund (Toronto, ON), who will receive a $5,000 prize. We also celebrate the achievement of the finalists for this year’s award: Etty Anderson (Montréal, QC), Gloria Han (Coquitlam, BC), and Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona (Ottawa, ON). Each finalist will receive a prize of $1,000 to further their practice.

This summer, the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery will feature the winner and finalists in a major exhibition that celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics. The exhibition will provide a rare opportunity for these emerging makers to share their work with an extensive audience while helping to build their careers at a pivotal moment. Works by all 25 previous winners of the award will also be included in the exhibition. An opening reception presenting the 2025 award and celebrating the award’s impressive history of the will be held on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at 2pm.

The 2025 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics was juried by Susan Collett, Carole Epp, and Sequoia Miller. On the jurying process, Susan Collett states: “Having won the first Winifred Shantz prize 25 years ago, I was honoured to be invited onto the jury process. Fascinating to read all the engaging entries. It took me back to that crucial time those years ago when I was seeking support. All our winners hit home with me in their dreams and aspirations…and high caliber portfolios.”

Carole Epp shared: “I am forever grateful for the opportunity to jury awards such as this, for these glimpses into the creative work and research of our Canadian emerging artists reinforces my belief in the tremendous talent, diversity of perspectives, and important research being produced in our ceramic community.”

On selecting Sami Tsang as the 2025 winner of the Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics, Sequoia Miller states: “Sami Tsang has been pursuing her artistic vision with guts, determination, and a continued sense of play. This award recognizes her extraordinary growth over the last several years and her role as an inspiration to other artists.”

For more information on the Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics, visit our website.

About the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery
The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is a long-standing site of excellence and a destination for contemporary art for international tourists and regional citizens. We present critically acclaimed exhibitions that challenge ideas and perceptions of the definitions of art, craft, and design today. The Gallery is a relevant and dynamic cultural organization providing supportive education programs to people from across the region. Using exhibitions as a starting point, individuals develop arts vocabulary and appreciation and cultivate confidence in their interpretation of contemporary artworks. For more information, visit: www.theclayandglass.ca

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