Winner of The Kingston Prize 2025: Louise Kermode receives $25,000

Opeyemi Olukotun & Orlin Mantchev Are Named Runner-Ups

TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2025 /CNW/ - The winner of the 2025 edition of The Kingston Prize isLouise Kermode (Waterloo, Ontario) for her painting "Madonna in a Tulip Chair". The runner-ups are Opeyemi Olukotun(Brandon, Manitoba) andOrlin Mantchev (Pouch Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador). The winner receives $25,000, and the honourable mentions each receive $3,000.

Kermode's portrait is a direct reference to Canadian art history. Her painting depicts Madonna (Donna) Meaney, who modelled for both Christopher and Mary Pratt. Kermode represents her as she is today: in her seventies and self-assured.

"No longer framed solely through the gaze of others, she appears self-possessed, mature, and dignified, while embodying a different kind of vulnerability—one tied to age, memory, and mortality,"  Louise Kermode explains about her portrait. "To me, Donna occupies a dual position: at once a mythic figure within Canadian art history, and at the same time an ordinary woman whose presence resists idealization."

This year's finalists speak to the Kingston Prize's founding vision: a national portrait competition that reflects the breadth of contemporary life in Canada. With over 420 submissions received from artists working in different regions of the country, the 2025 edition reinforces The Kingston Prize as a national platform that brings together varied practices, perspectives, and approaches to depicting contemporary Canadian life.

"The judges were overwhelmed by the sheer talent that represented Canadian artists' commitment to capturing the incredible stories that represent our lived experiences through portraiture," said lead juror Gordon Shadrach. "The diversity of techniques, styles, and subjects portrayed made the task of choosing our top three quite complex. We were impressed by their understanding of their respective mediums and their rigorous attention to detail."

Shadrach was joined on the jury by Chloe Pelletier, curator at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, and Lauchie Reid, Chair of Illustration at OCAD University.

The finalists were exhibited at Arta Gallery in Toronto's Distillery District from November 8 to 14, 2025. Visitors were invited to vote for the People's Choice Award, which was awarded to Tanyss Horsley.

About The Kingston Prize:

Founded in 2005, The Kingston Prize celebrates contemporary portraits and creates a historical record of Canadians by Canadians. This competition invites Canadian artists to submit portraits based on real-life encounters and personal relationships.

SOURCE The Kingston Prize