Winners of the 2026 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts Announced

On September 16, the winners of the 2026 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts were announced, celebrating a diverse group of artists from across Canada. The awards are among the country’s most prestigious honours in the arts, recognising excellence in visual and media arts, including fine crafts.

This year’s eight recipients are Chung-Im Kim, a textile artist and educator based in Cookstown, Ontario; Roger Lee, a Vancouver-based art historian; Faye HeavyShield, a sculptor and installation artist from the Kainai First Nations; Carole Itter, an artist and filmmaker from Vancouver; Zacharias Kunuk, an Inuk sculptor and filmmaker; Lyne Lapointe, an artist based in Québec; Marie-Jeanne Musiol, a photographer from Gatineau; and Skawennati, a Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist based in Montréal.

Chung-Im Kim received the Saidye Bronfman Award, which celebrates exceptional craft processes. As part of this award, the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau will acquire a work or series of works by Kim. Roger Lee was honoured with the outstanding contribution award for his work as an art historian, collector, and cultural advocate, with a career that has influenced Asian and diasporic art history in Canada. His collection of Yixing teapots is noted for uniting aesthetic inquiry with cultural memory.

Marie-Jeanne Musiol, originally from Switzerland and now based in Gatineau, is recognised for her photograms, backlit works, and experimental videos that capture the luminous imprints of plants in electromagnetic fields. Her series "The Radiant Forest" brings together these images as a virtual energy herbarium at the intersection of botany and electrophotography.

Each winner receives a bronze medallion and a monetary prize of C$25,000. The Governor General’s Awards are distributed annually, with up to eight awards: six for artistic achievements, one for fine craft, and one for outstanding contribution to contemporary visual arts, media arts, or fine crafts.

An exhibition featuring selected works by the 2026 laureates will open at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on November 7. This exhibition will provide the public with an opportunity to engage with the diverse practices and perspectives represented by the winners.

The 2026 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts highlight the essential role of artists in Canadian society, fostering dialogue and a deeper understanding of cultural identity and community through their work.