Karen Stentaford (’99), associate professor in ������Ƶ Allison University’s Pierre Lassonde School of Fine Arts, has been named the winner of the 2026 Scotiabank Photography Award — one of Canada’s most prestigious honours for photographic artists. She is the first Atlantic Canadian to win the award since its inception in 2010. 

The award recognizes the achievements of established mid-to-late career artists whose work has made significant contributions to contemporary photography in Canada. As this year’s recipient, Stentaford will receive a $50,000 cash prize, a solo Primary Exhibition at The Image Centre in Toronto, and a published book of her work, designed by Barr Gilmore and distributed internationally.

“This is a tremendous honour for Professor Stentaford and a proud moment for ������Ƶ Allison,” says President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Ian Sutherland. "Her work reflects exceptional artistic inquiry, impact, and community connection. These are defining characteristics of the Pierre Lassonde School of Fine Arts and ������Ƶ Allison’s two hundred years of artistic excellence. Professor Stentaford's national recognition through the Scotiabank Photography Award is a testament to the strength of her artistic practice and the contributions she makes as both an artist and educator.”

Stentaford is a ������Ƶ Allison alumna, having earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 1999. She also holds a Bachelor of Education with a Visual Arts Specialist focus from NSCAD University and ������Ƶ Saint Vincent University and Master of Arts in Photography from the Edinburgh College of Art.

"I have been following the annual Scotiabank Photography Award since Edward Burtynsky co-founded it with Scotiabank in 2010. I have admired and celebrated the artists recognized over the years, so to hear my name called as the winner felt surreal." Stentaford says. "It’s very exciting to be recognized by my peers on this national stage and have the opportunity to share my work more widely. I couldn’t have done this without my family and partner with their continued and generous support. I also thank my dear friend and mentor Thaddeus Holownia. I’m fortunate to be part of the Pierre Lassonde School of Fine Arts here at ������Ƶ Allison University, a community that is supportive of my creative work and teaching alike. Thank you to Scotiabank for their commitment to the award program, to the jury and especially to Jane Walker, Director of the Grenfell Art Gallery in Corner Brook NL, for graciously nominating me for the award." 

Her practice is rooted in slow photography, repetition, and close looking — an approach that invites viewers to pause and consider the layered relationships between people, place, and the natural world. Since 2013, she has also engaged communities through participatory photography with her Photomatic Travelling Tintype Studio.
 

The Scotiabank Photography Award was co-founded by Scotiabank and Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky (LLD ’11) to recognize and accelerate the careers of Canadian photographic artists as they reach new levels of national and international recognition.

Burtynsky, who also serves as jury chair, praised Stentaford’s commitment to large-format photography and a slower, more deliberate way of seeing.

“Through her work, the connections between environment and memory are rendered with quiet intensity, revealing how landscape holds both personal and collective histories,” says Burtynsky. “In an age of accelerated image-making, her practice is a powerful reminder of the value of close looking and the enduring resonance of the photographic medium.”

The 2026 Scotiabank Photography Award jury included Edward Burtynsky, artist and jury chair; Andrea Kunard, Senior Curator of Photographs at the National Gallery; Mireille Eagan (’04), Curator of Contemporary Art at The Rooms; and Zoë Tousignant, Curator of Photography at the McCord Stewart Museum.