We should pay attention to art in more ways than one; politics is always downstream from culture. Today’s political situation threatens Canadians and calls on us to unite, bring our elbows up. We have reason to feel proud in Canada. Our sports teams: the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadians, Toronto Blue Jays, the Halifax Wanderers… too many to name here. In the political arena, Prime Minister Marc Carney’s outstanding speech at Davos in January 2026 impressed all in the European Union and put us on the global stage. The arts also build national spirit; they unite us. Now we’re looking at the Kingston Prize, a cornerstone cultural event since 2005, an annual portrait painting competition by Canadian artists of Canadians across this nation, from sea to shining sea.
The death of painting was always an unrealistic expectation, so don’t hold your breath when one image is worth a thousand words. The science of language tells us that painting is non-verbal, a visual language whose subtleties get lost if we need to explain an image in words. Here comes the Kingston Prize, our national portrait painting competition of Canadians by Canadians.
The Kingston Prize was founded in 2005 by Julian and Karen Brown when they moved to Kingston, Ontario, after years of living in Sidney, Australia. The Browns were inspired by Sidney’s annual Australia’s Archibald Prize, a national portrait competition the entire country awaited and looked up to, as much as if it were a football rally. Julian and Kaaren Brown saw how portraits created a national community spirit through this cultural dialogue. The first exhibition was held in 2005; they continued the project until they retired in 2021, staying on as advisors. Julian and Karen Brown were civic-minded altruists who wanted to contribute to Canadian culture.
This volunteer spirit found in pillars of the community continued in 2023 when Jason Donville was selected as the new chair of the board of directors. Bringing fresh energy to the project, Jason organized the publication of a book of the portraits shown from 2005 to 2023, now available on Amazon. In an upgrade to the competition, starting this year, the Kingston Prize plays an even greater role in Canadian visual arts culture as it transitions from a biennial to an annual exhibition. Submissions are open now till September 1. For Donville, the Kingston Prize is a way to promote Canadian identity, a collection of portraits showing us who we are. Donville also pointed out the credibility of work selected solely on merit. Some revealing social patterns emerge from this perspective. In one recent year, five First Nations artists’ work was selected to be among the 30 artists shown. Many had not identified themselves as First Nations; their work, like all others, is selected solely on merit. Donville thought the stats suggest a new generation of First Nation artists producing excellent paintings.
A few artists shared their thoughts about their work and the Kingston Prize, here paraphrased. It is fitting we start with a First Nations artist from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nelson White.
Nelson White, brothers watching curling
Nelson White, a finalist in the 2025 competition, has a painting in the Smithsonian Institute collection. He is a Mi’kmaq, a member of the Flat Bay First Nation Band in Flat Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. His father is a respected elder who was recently awarded the Order of Canada for his lifetime of lobbying for the rights of Mi’kmaq people. Nelson comes from a large family and grew up on comic books. He always drew as a kid. His parents have been very supportive of all their kids’ activities. One brother is an actor, another is a musician, one sister is a Senator in Ottawa, another brother is a firefighter, and another sister is a nursing assistant. Nelson worked as a scout for hockey teams, then, in his forties, he added his love of art, went to NASCAD, and found his voice as a painter with the work on his website.
His art career started 13 years ago in an indigenous group show called Identify, which led to a residency at The Rooms, then another at FOGO, an artist’s residency and exhibition space on Fogo Island. He says even if nobody paid attention, he would still paint every day. He has shown in seven provinces so far, and now galleries reach out to him. He was in the 2025 Kingston Prize and is now working on a piece for 2026. Nelson finds that even with the recent resurgence of painting, figurative art still needs more attention.
The Kingston Prize does that; it is a valuable resource validating a variety of different approaches and introducing artists to the public and to each other. To be included is very flattering. Good portraiture is more than a likeness; it is a narrative. Our mind’s construction is written in the lines of our face. The Kingston Prize documents a large variety of styles and educates the audience and other artists who see the language of their peers. The Kingston Prize is the ultimate portrait competition in Canada.
Andrew Valko, personal surveillance
Andrew Valko, 2009 Kingston Prize winner, lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Kingston Prize concept appeals to him because anyone can enter, and everyone has a chance. We can discover artists we don’t know about because they might not be popular with curators who follow a different agenda. For example, a curator with a conceptual bend might look for artists drawing a blank. Such cleverness defeats the point when someone skilled at portraiture might spend months on a labor of love.
The Kingston Prize shows the work of professionals and amateurs alike, so long as their work stands out, it has special qualities that catch the eye. The artists will have developed their own style. That is where painting diverges into an exploration of non-verbal language. So the Kingston Prize opens doors to excellent artists who have a personal voice that does not always follow the flavor of the day.
Shaun Downey, Near the elevator
Shaun Downey, 2023 winner. He is an extremely skilled, realistic painter, influenced by classical painting, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Bouguereau. He aims for that effect when you feel the presence in the painting, almost a real person, with their history and narrative. Shaun’s start was in animation and illustration studies, but he was drawn to classical techniques and realism, which he felt would let him make his mark. Then in 2003, he showed at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, sold 12 canvases, and soon after, his work was in a commercial gallery. His career went uphill from there, and no wonder, once you see his paintings.
A few years back, Shaun had been invited to Kingston to give an artist talk at the opening that year, which brought him several commissions; an important thing when your living consists of painting. At that event, he met a man who had been looking for a portrait painter for a while but didn’t know where to start, so the Kingston Prize accreditation gave the client confidence in their choice of an artist. In this interview, Shaun talked about winning the 2023 Kingston Prize, held in Gananoque, just north of Kingston. He didn’t expect to win, no one really does, and when they announced his name, it was a very emotional event both for him and his wife, who is also a painter. For Shaun it was a definite bonus, now when clients come to his studio, he gives them added confidence by showing the Kingston Prize book; his work is on the cover.
There are a thousand stories in our cities about our artists and their subjects. A thousand ways of being Canadian. Each year adds another 30 to that tale, with the most amazing images it is in our power to create. National portrait shows draw attention; they define national identity. A shout-out to the people who make it happen, also to the painters who put their hearts into their work.
