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If you're a young or young-ish Canadian visual artist with a thoroughly contemporary practice, no prize is more important and prestigious than the Sobey Art Award. It's been that way virtually from the award's inception in 2002, initially as a biennial offering. Not only is the money big – the winner gets $50,000 – the career heft is profound, as previous laureates such as Duane Linklater, Brian Jungen, Annie Pootoogook and David Altmejd can attest.

This year the total cash value of the award is even higher – $100,000, with the winner again slated to receive $50,000 while each runner-up (there are four) will earn $10,000 instead of the $5,000 of previous awards. The remaining long-listed artists will each receive $500. Established by Donald Sobey, former chair of the National Gallery of Canada, the award, given annually since 2006, is disbursed to an artist 40 and under who's had a public or commercial gallery exhibition within 18 months of being nominated.

The long list for the 2014 prize has just been published. As ever, a jury of five has chosen 25 candidates, split into groups of five based on geographic region. A short list of five will be culled in early June, the winner named in mid-November. Works by the short-listed artists will be exhibited at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, starting Nov. 1.

Several of the nominees on the 2014 long list have been up for Sobey consideration before, most notably Saskatoon-born, Sackville, N.B.-based Graeme Patterson, 34, short-listed in 2009 and long-listed in 2010 and 2012. Organized by region, here are the artists on this year's long list:

Allison Hrabluik

Alison Hrabluik, Vancouver

A Mouth Trying to Drink From Me (Video Still) 2012 animated video 01:54 min duration.

Farheen HaQ, Victoria

Threshold (installation view) 2011 Single channel video, monitor, wood frame, glass 11 min loop, dimensions variable.
Dallas Duobaitis

Peter Morin, Kelowna, B.C. (now living in Brandon)

Becoming Andy Kaufman in the Museum, stand-up comedy for Totem Poles 2012 performance documentation, Royal BC museum, Victoria.

Dan Starling, Vancouver

 1992 “The Cultural Revolution 2014 lightjet print 76cm x 63.5cm.
Courtesy of the artist/Monte Clark Gallery

Evan Lee, Vancouver

Phoropter 2012 photocollage 30 x 30 cm.

Michael Dumontier & Neil Farber, Winnipeg

 Library (detail) 2014 acrylic on hardboard 7.6 X 7.6 cm.

Cedric Bomford, Winnipeg

Sumavská (from the series “Air Vents of Prague Metro”) 2003 (printed 2014).

Divya Mehra, Winnipeg

The Bitch Blues (where does the Divide begin?) 2014 acrylic ink and sizzurp 55.9 x 76.2 cm.
David M.C. Miller

Zin Taylor, Calgary-born, Brussels-based

A Portrait of Arranged Parts (Stripes and Dots) 2013 Plaster, wood, wire, acrylic paint 38.5 x 11.75 x 12.5 cm.
Larry Glawson

Michael Dudeck, Winnipeg

Prototypes for an New Iconography (Study 03) 2014 inkjet print on rag paper43.8 x 29.1 cm.

Kelly Jazvac, Toronto

Leaning Board, salvaged vinyl, thread, paper, adhesive, grommets, thumbtacks, 2013
Michelle Hyun

Reena Katz (a.k.a. Radiodress), Ottawa

use hold strike: proposed sounds for collective greiving 2010 – 2014.

Balint Zsako

Balint Zsako, Toronto (now living in Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Audubon 61 2014 collage 20 x 17.5 cm.

Chris Curreri

Chris Curreri, Toronto

Untitled (Clay Portfolio) 2013 gelatin silver print 13.4 x 19.5 cm, from a portfolio of 21.
Jean-Paul Kelly/Cressida Kociensk

Jean-Paul Kelly, Toronto

Figure-ground (Srebrenica) [detail] 2013 Gouache and graphite on paper 27.9 x 43.2 cm .
Olivia Boudreau

Olivia Boudreau, Montreal

Femme allongée 2014 Video projection, colour, sound Duration: 12 min. 41 sec.
Diane Morin

Diane Morin, Montreal

imbrication (machines à réduire le temps) 2012-2013 dimensions variables (mur approx. 8 m. long).

Nadia Myre, Montreal

Meditations on Red 2012 Digital print 122 x 122 cm.
Remi Theriault

Dominique Pétrin, Montreal

#pizzaparty 2013 Silkscreened paper installation 300 x 463 x 427 cm.
American Medium

Jon Rafman, Montreal

Venice-O'Keeffe Lobby 2013 Fabric, Acrylic Paint, Objects 300 x 150 cm.

Galerie Nordenhake (Stockholm)

Tamara Henderson, Sackville, N.B.-born, Vancouver-based

Wake of Limbs 2014 Copper, Paint, Sand, Glue, Wood 90cm x 157.5cm x 94.5cm.
Wendy McElmon

Ursula Johnson, Sydney, N.S.

Awije'jk 2012 Black Ash and Sweetgrass Weaving 12.7 x 17.78 x 20.32 cm.

Eleanor King

Eleanor King, Halifax

Stacks 2012: Southern Alberta Art Gallery Latex paint, reclaimed electronics painting: 3048 x 213.36 cm sculpture: 129.54 x 152.40 x 152.40 cm.

Graeme Patterson

Graeme Patterson, Sackville, N.B.

Secret Citadel (animation still) 2013 Digital still 7360 x 4912 px.

Becka Viau

Becka Viau, Charlottetown

Agrarian Monument 00 2014 Round Hay Bale, Red Roses 152 X 152cm.

Editor's note
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the runners-up would each receive $12,500. In fact, they will each earn $10,000, and the remaining long-listed artists will get $500.