NSCAD Student Art Award - NSCAD

NSCAD University is proud to present the annual NSCAD Student Art Award. This celebration of achievement is a recognition of our students’ outstanding work with one $5,000 purchase grand prize, and nine $1,000 best-in-category prizes. The grand prize-winning artwork will also be added to the President’s Art Bank, part of NSCAD University’s permanent collection.

The Student Art Award provides young artists across nine disciplines at the university with vital visibility as they embark on their careers. The nine nominated works will be exhibited at the Anna Leonowens Gallery.

2026 Student Art Awards

The nominated works will be shown at the Anna Leonowens Gallery from April 21- April 25. Access to the gallery is free and open to the public.

Each of the nine nominated works represents a different visual art discipline.

One of the finalists will be selected as the $5,000 Grand Prize Winner, presented by TD Insurance.

The 2026 category finalists and $1,000 prize presenters are:

Liam Miron, Ceramics – presented by Allan Rubenstein
Kai Shen, Jewellery – presented by Touch of Gold
Mary-Sue Scratch, Printmaking – presented by Kara Holm and Thomas Curran
Bianca McDonald, Sculpture – presented by Steele Mazda
Wanjiru Njoroge, Film – presented by The Donovan Family Foundation
Abby Spooner, Textiles – presented by Kara Holm and Thomas Curran
Myles West, Drawing – presented by Joanne Hames and Michael Brown
Petra Bouwers, Painting– presented by Downtown Halifax Business Commission
Tovah Williams, Photography – presented by Citadel Oral & Facial Surgery

The Reception and Award Ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 23, from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. This event is open to the public. An external jury will vote on the winning work and the winner will be named at the reception.

Abby Spooner wins 2026 Student Art Award

Abby Spooner (BFA 2026) is the recipient of the 2026 NSCAD Student Art Award.

The jury selected Spooner from a pool of nine Student Art Award finalists for her crocheted tapestry, Queen NeNe I. The announcement was made on Thursday, April 23, at a public gala reception and exhibition at the Anna Leonowens Gallery.

“I feel incredibly grateful and humbled to have won this award,” says Spooner. “This is my sixth year at NSCAD, and it felt like an eternity. So, winning this is just a really validating moment for me.”

Queen NeNe I depicts NeNe Leakes of The Real Housewives of Atlanta rendered in the likeness of Queen Elizabeth I, from her 17th-century coronation portrait. Spooner says she would not have been able to accomplish this work without the support of the NSCAD Textiles department.

Meet the 2026 Student Art Award Nominees

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