PRIZES & PROGRAMS
TOSH KELLETT ART PRIZE
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED!!!
Thank you to all the artists who submitted work for the inaugural 2027 TOSH Kellett Art Prize & Exhibition.
We look forward to celebrating the exceptional creative talent of our region when the exhibition opens in March 2027.
Stay tuned for exhibition details and award announcements.
Celebrating exceptional art from our region.
The TOSH Kellett Art Prize & Exhibition celebrates the exceptional work being created by artists on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii. Open to emerging and established artists, this juried competition recognizes artistic excellence and brings outstanding regional work to our community.
2027 CALL FOR ARTWORK
Art has always been at the heart of this community.
We're inviting artists from across Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii to submit their finest work for consideration in the inaugural TOSH Kellett Art Prize & Exhibition.
With $4,000 in cash awards and a public exhibition at TOSH in March 2027, this is an opportunity to share your work with a wider audience and celebrate the creative talent of our region.
Whether you're an emerging artist or have been creating for decades, we want to see what you're making.
$1,500 Grand Prize - 5 × $500 Additional awards
Submission Guidelines
BEFORE YOU SUBMIT
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Open to artists aged 18 and over residing on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.
Artists may submit up to two original works created exclusively by the artist.
All wall-mounted media are welcome, except digital art and photography, which are not being accepted at this time.
AI-generated artwork will not be accepted.
Submissions should demonstrate exceptional technical proficiency and artistic excellence.
All entries must meet TOSH's inclusivity standards, respecting diversity and cultural sensitivities.escription text goes here
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Artwork Requirements
Presentation: All artwork must be appropriately framed or otherwise finished, equipped with suitable hanging hardware and ready for wall-mounted exhibition.
Size: Artwork, including framing, must not exceed 48 × 60 inches.
Labelling: Each work must be clearly labelled with the artist's name, title, year created, medium and price.
All submitted artwork must be available for sale.
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For each artwork, provide up to two high-quality digital images in JPEG or PNG format, showing the entire work and properly cropped.
Name image files using this format: Lastname_Firstname_Title_Year.jpg
Provide the title, year completed, medium, dimensions and price of each artwork.
Include an artist statement of up to 250 words and a brief biography of no more than 150 words.oes here
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Artistic Vision and Originality — 25%: A distinct and original artistic perspective or voice.
Conceptual Depth — 25%: Meaningful ideas that invite viewers to engage beyond the surface.
Technical Skill and Craftsmanship — 20%: Demonstrated control and proficiency in the chosen medium.
Emotional Impact and Resonance — 20%: The ability to communicate feeling, meaning or lived experience.
Presentation and Professional Finish — 10%: Artwork that is professionally finished and ready for gallery exhibition
Important Dates
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Keep these important dates in mind as you prepare your submission.
September 30, 2026 - Submission deadline NOW CLOSED
November 30, 2026 - Artists notified of jury decisions by this date NOW CLOSED
March 1, 2027 -Exhibition opens
April 23, 2027 - Exhibition closes
Unsold artwork must be collected on the exhibition's closing date.
Meet the 2027 Jurors
Our distinguished panel of jurors brings a wealth of artistic experience and perspective to the inaugural TOSH Kellett Art Prize.
Each submission will be evaluated against five core criteria: artistic vision and originality, conceptual depth, technical skill, emotional impact and professional presentation.
Meet the artists and arts professionals bringing their experience and perspectives to the inaugural TOSH Kellett Art Prize.
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Elizabeth Russell is a conceptual, interdisciplinary artist and art instructor whose expansive practice spans painting, drawing, photography, and site-specific installations. She holds a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and an MFA in Combined Media from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, UK.
Highly recognized for organizing alternative-space art projects ranging from historical London police stations to a floating barge on the River Thames, her recent research and creation focuses heavily on charcoal drawing and fabric drapery as a narrative tool. One of her latest international works includes a major featured installation at the VANREYBER exhibition at the Werkhalle Wiesenburg Gallery in Berlin.
Elizabeth resides in Courtenay, where she is an instructor and former Chair of the School of Fine Art and Design at North Island College. She recently accepted the prestigious Nonny Milne Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts on behalf of the NIC fine arts program.
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Heather Thomas is a Canadian multimedia artist and master printmaker born in Nova Scotia and residing in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia.
Her work has been featured in major public and regional galleries across Canada. Selected solo exhibitions include The Old School House Arts Centre in 2025, the Comox Valley Art Gallery in 2013, the Kelowna Gallery in 2008, the Nanaimo Art Gallery in 2007, and Open Studio in Toronto in 1999. She exhibited together with Douglas Senft from 2000 to 2007.
Thomas holds a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Fine Arts from Donau Universität, Berlin. Her career has included working at GRAFF, Un Centre de Recherche Graphique in Montreal, and serving as master printer for Tlingit artist Dempsey Bob and Kwakwaka'wakw artist John Powell.
She continues to be an active and valued contributor to the Vancouver Island arts community.
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Elliott Hearte is a prominent media artist, cultural manager, and arts consultant with an extensive background advocating for equity, accessibility, and systemic trust-based co-leadership models in the Canadian creative sector.
A graduate of the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, her personal film, video, and new media artworks explore concepts of identity and camera-edited gender expression, showing in major galleries and festivals across Canada, the USA, and Europe. Influenced by her lived experiences with gender diversity and disability, Elliott brings a powerful macroscopic perspective to modern regional arts ecosystems.
She currently operates from the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations as the Executive Director of ArtsBC.
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Clive Powsey studied drawing, painting, and printmaking at the Ontario College of Art, the fourth year spent in an off-campus program in Florence, Italy. For three and a half decades, he exhibited watercolours regularly in commercial, public, and community galleries, winning awards including one from the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour.
He also worked for 35 years as a background painter and art director in animation, television, and advertising at Nelvana, Walt Disney Animation Canada, and smaller studios. Having returned exclusively to printmaking within the last two decades, he continues to exhibit regularly. He has also taught courses at the Ontario College of Art, Max the Mutt College of Animation, and most recently in North Island College's Metal Jewellery Design program.
His most recent exhibition, All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (title from a poem by Richard Brautigan), was a survey of his printmaking at Artful Gallery in Courtenay, BC. Curated exclusively by ChatGPT using a rigorous and "savage" prompt, the exhibition was intended not simply as an experiment with machine intelligence, but with judgement itself.
A Word from Jan Kellett
A GIFT TO THE ARTS. A LEGACY FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
TOSH has been part of this community for a long time. It is a place where people come to see something that moves them, or to make something they are proud of, or simply to be reminded that beauty is possible. I think that matters enormously, and I wanted to do something to help keep it going.
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DescripMy name is Jan Kellett. I am an artist and a member of this community, and this prize is my way of contributing to something I care about very much. The TOSH Kellett Art Prize is an open competition for artists in our region, with a cash award for the winner and an exhibition of the work right here at TOSH. I hope it will encourage artists to bring their best work forward, and give the rest of us the pleasure of seeing it.
I am also establishing a legacy fund to keep the prize running year after year. I am not a wealthy person, but I do believe that ordinary people giving a little regularly can achieve something lasting together. If you enjoy what TOSH brings to this town and would like to help secure its future, even a small monthly contribution to the arts centre makes a real difference.
TOSH was built by people in this community who gave what they could because they believed the arts were worth it. I feel that same way. This prize is simply my small effort to pass something worthwhile on.
I do hope you will come to the inaugural exhibition in March 2027. It would mean a great deal to see you there.
QUESTIONS? WE'RE HERE TO HELP.
Have a question about the TOSH Kellett Art Prize, eligibility or submitting your artwork? Get in touch with Eunice. We'd be happy to help.
Email Eunice at eunice@theoldschoolhouse.org
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Submission Deadline:
September 30, 2026 - NOW CLOSED
Artist Notification:
By November 30, 2026
Exhibition:
March 1 – April 23, 2027
LOCATION:
The Old Schoolhouse Arts Centre,