Polygone Award

The Conseil is proud to partner with the magazine Vie des arts for the Prix Polygone for visual arts, which is accompanied by a $10,000 grant.

Who is eligible for this award?

Professional artists and artists’ collectives who present original, cohesive work that reflects the plurality of their knowledge. The candidates can be at any stage in their career and should possess artistic qualities that deserve to be showcased and recognized. Their work has rarely or never been presented in the Montréal visual arts community. They must have recognized some sort of recognition by their peers, whether they are self-taught or from an atypical background.

What are the objectives?

This award aims to showcase the rich knowledge of the arts and the world that visual arts offers by celebrating a diverse range of practices. The endless possibilities of artistic language and expression are built on a foundation of equity so that all artists can enjoy the same opportunities as their careers progress. This award recognizes the contribution artists make by showcasing their unique perspectives on both the world and the Montréal community.

This program is designed to:

• highlight exceptional practices in visual arts
• identify unique and underrepresented practices in visual arts
• raise public awareness on the scope of formal, conceptual, aesthetic and cultural codes used in visual arts
• showcase works and encourage new avenues for research
• provide tangible support to the winner and increase the visibility of their work as well as the finalists’ works
• stimulate partnership interest for recognition, critical study and dialogue around the winner’s work
• facilitate networking for these artists within Montréal’s professional visual arts community

What type of assistance is provided?

The $10,000 grant is awarded by the Conseil des arts de Montréal. The Conseil will also fund an article, published by Vie des arts, on the artist’s or collective’s approach in visual arts, at a value of $1,500.

What do the partners contribute?

The contribution of Vie des arts magazine is to manage and promote the award, in partnership with the Conseil. The winner will receive the award at a location or relevant event or specific activity to increase the winner’s visibility in the visual arts community. Vie des arts will also publish a review in one of its annual issues.

How many prizes will be awarded?

Only one award is presented per year.

What are the general conditions for eligibility?

Individual artists

• Must be a professional artist, as defined by the Conseil
• Must reside on the Island of Montréal
• For Indigenous creators only, must reside within 50 km of the Island of Montréal (including the communities of Kahnawake and Kanesatake) and work on the Island of Montréal
• Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada by the application deadline

Artists’ collectives

• Must be represented by a person responsible for the application
• Must be a group of artists, regardless of the number (minimum of two)
• Must have two thirds of its members who are artists with Canadian citizenship or permanent residence; the proportion of members of the collective residing outside Canada may not exceed one third
• A majority of the group’s members (50% +1), including the person who submitted the application, must reside on the Island of Montréal
• Must be composed of professional artists, as defined by the Conseil

Are there any special eligibility criteria?

Professional artists or artists’ collective working in visual arts who:

• have never received an award
• are not part of the official dissemination network for visual arts in Montréal

Who is ineligible to apply?

Applicants

• Artists and collectives not working in visual arts

Applications

• Incomplete applications
• Applications received after the deadline

How do I apply?

Visit the Vie des arts’ website for more information or to submit your application. Application forms may be submitted by the artist or the collective, or by a professional third party in the arts or in the artist’s peer group. The form must be signed by the artist and, if applicable, the person submitting the application on their behalf.

Applications must include the following elements:

• a cover letter that describes the artist’s background (short biography and overview of their artistic approach), maximum of 500 words
• a portfolio of the artist’s works accompanied by a descriptive list (title, date, medium, dimensions), maximum of 15 images
• a pitch explaining why the candidate’s work is relevant for the award, maximum of 300 words

Vie des arts will process the applications and the Conseil will determine the eligibility of applicants.

How are applications evaluated?

An evaluation committee will be formed, consisting of 5 members from both Vie des arts and the Conseil’s visual arts evaluation committee. The Conseil will appoint an observer to oversee the deliberations of the evaluation committee.

Applications will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of professionals recognized for their expertise in visual arts and for their familiarity with the visual arts community and the issues addressed by the award.

The Conseil will work with Vie des arts to ensure that the representativeness of each evaluation committee is in keeping with its vision of equity, diversity and inclusion.

All applications will be evaluated on merit and selection will take into consideration the comparative value of the applications.

What are the evaluation criteria?

• Quality and relevance of the artist’s background
• Coherence between the artist’s intentions and work within the history of their practice
• Impact of the artistic works on knowledge in the arts
• Contribution and promotion of diverse practices in the visual arts community
• Potential impact of the award on Montréal audiences and the artist’s career

Applications will be evaluated based on the quality and originality of the artistic approach. The impact of artists’ works on the development of the practice will also taken into consideration. The evaluation committee will pay particular attention to culturally diverse artists.

Organizations, collectives, artists and their representatives agree at all times not to communicate with members of the evaluation committees or members of the Council’s Board of Directors in any matter relating to the management, evaluation or decisions related to their application. 

The Conseil des arts de Montréal staff are available to answer questions about the application evaluation process and decisions. 

What is the response time?

The winner will be publicly announced when the award is presented in fall of 2024.

How is the grant paid?

Following the announcement of the winner, Vie des arts will transfer the $10,000 grant in a single instalment on behalf of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

Payment times may vary depending on the internal processing time of Ville de Montréal departments, which are beyond the control of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.