The Kingston Prize is pleased to announce the 2025 winners.
The winners were announced at a private reception at Arta Gallery in Toronto’s historic Distillery District, attended by many of the finalists, their subjects, and guests.
From Jason Donville, Board chair:
“The 2025 Kingston Prize shines a spotlight on the remarkable portrait artists shaping Canada’s cultural landscape. This year’s 30 finalists come from every corner of the country, bringing together a tapestry of voices, perspectives, and experiences. Their diversity mirrors the Canada we now—vibrant, complex, and ever-evolving—and their talent is nothing short of extraordinary. Each portrait captures more than a likeness; it reveals a story, an emotion, a life lived, inviting us to see the world through the eyes of both artist and subject. In these works, we find reflection, empathy, and connection. Together, the artists and the people they portray form a living mosaic of our nation. They are not just creators and subjects—they are the face of Canada, showing us who we are, who we have been, and who we are becoming.”
Winner of The Kingston Prize 2025
Madonna in a Tulip Chair
by Louise Kermode, Waterloo, ON
Oil on aluminum composite panel, 116 x 76 cm
“Madonna in a Tulip Chair is a portrait of Madonna (Donna) Meaney, who, as a young woman, modeled for both Christopher and Mary Pratt. In doing so, she became central to some of the most enduring representations of the female figure in Canadian painting.”
Honourable Mentions, $2,000 each
A Cup of Silence
by Opeyemi Olukotun, Brandon, MB
Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
In A Cup of Silence, I depict a seated figure holding a cup in a moment of quiet introspection. The surrounding chairs suggest both presence and absence, evoking themes of displacement, memory and solitude.
James Baird (first in series “The Cosmos I am”) by Orlin Mantchev, Pouch Cove, NL
Oil on canvas, 152 x 152 cm
This portrait of James Baird is part of my ongoing series *The Cosmos I Am*, which explores portraiture as a layered and evolving record of lived experience. Using a meditative, pointillist technique, I build the image from thousands of dots—each one a symbolic imprint of memory, thoughts, emotional stories, all forming a very rich visual archive of personal identity.
People’s Choice, $1,000 (chosen by people who viewed the exhibition at the Arta Gallery)
Almaz
by Tanyss Horsley, Toronto, ON
Oil on canvas, 45 x 37 cm
