Frequently Asked Questions

Winners of the EDAA are awarded $5,000 and selected finalists get $1,000. All finalists (including the winner) also get a free membership to Trinity Square Video’s artist-run centre, with the award winner receiving a guaranteed spot in their next annual Themed Commission program. And then there’s the glory, of course.

We’re looking for artwork that’s screen-based. This means, although your submission might be a component of a larger project or installation, it should stand on its own when on-screen. If your work activates a physical space, it can be difficult to engage with when in the context of other works intended for two dimensions. If your screen-based work involves a small, transportable material support such as 3D glasses, send it in and we’ll be happy to consider it.

We understand sampling is a common tool used across digital art practices. Works that include copyrighted images or other content won’t be penalized during the judging process. Keep in mind, however, that artists are responsible for the work they submit, and should review our Terms and Conditions for the full rundown. In short: we don’t pay legal fees, but we’ll back you up on Twitter.

Oh, technology – can’t live with it, can’t live without it. Leave your frustrations behind and get in touch with us at edaa@eqbank.ca for a workaround. Please be specific as possible when describing the error(s) you’re encountering.

Check out our How to Apply page for full details. Hot tip: The statement you provide about your work is carefully considered. Be sure to focus on the actual artwork you submit (this one’s for you, guy who wrote “I’m hungry” on his application). When choosing a winner, we also look for how the submitted artwork relates to digital stuff of other sorts.

We work with the brilliant folks at Trinity Square Video to decide which displays will be used. It could be a monitor, projection, computer, or another type of format. We keep in touch with exhibiting artists about how their work will be shown. While we can’t promise to accommodate all requests, we try our best to ensure artists are comfortable with the way their work is presented.

Absolutely. All finalists are paid $500 on top of the awarded prize money.

We want to celebrate your work and thank you in-person for participating in the EDAA. Plus, ask around—we throw a good party. We’ll cover the cost of transportation and accommodations for any finalists outside the Greater Toronto Area, at least while we wait for the scientists researching teleportation to get it together.

The monetary award of $5,000 includes the cost of acquisition for the award winning piece. We’ll obtain a copy of the work to hold in our collection, which we can then show on screens in our office to inspire (and let’s be honest, confuse) our employees. You’ll retain full rights to the work, and we don’t put any limitations on its life after the EDAA.

Stills from your artwork may also be used in promotional material for the exhibition, for example, as takeaway prints.

We do! We’ve been collecting art since 1993 with digital pieces added since 2015. From paintings memorializing deceased pets, prints with ironically NSFW content, photographs of people we don’t know but wish we did, and tapestries featuring above-ground pools, our physical collection is eclectic (to say the least).

We’re continuously working to find new worldviews to represent through our collection, while remaining committed to supporting living artists in the broader arts community in Canada. Have more questions about our art collection? Great, because our Curator likes to talk. Send an email to lleblanc@eqbank.ca for more info.