EQ Bank is the digital banking platform powered by Equitable Bank. Throughout the Terms and Conditions, EQ Bank will be referred to as Equitable Bank. 

Terms & Conditions 

These Terms and Conditions govern the eligibility, participation and award selection process of the Equitable Bank Emerging Digital Artists Award (the “Award”). Entry and participation is contingent on accepting and adhering to these Terms and Conditions. 

Applicant Eligibility 

  1. Entrants must be individuals who are within the first eight (8) years of their professional career, prior to or beginning with their first exhibition in a museum, public or commercial gallery, or artist-run centre outside of an educational context, such as a graduating thesis exhibition. 
  2. Only one submission may be made per individual. 
  3. Entrants must complete the online application and submit it along with a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) that outlines a complete exhibition history, beginning from the date of their first exhibition at a museum, public or commercial gallery, or artist-run centre. 
  4. Only submissions made by the August 5, 2024 11:59pm EST deadline will be accepted. Entries cannot be altered or amended once submitted. 
  5. Entrants must make reasonable efforts to attend the award ceremony held in person in Toronto on Thursday, January 9, 2025, 6:00-11:00pm EST if selected as an award winner.  
  6. Participation is open to all Canadian residents eighteen (18) years of age or older. 
  7. Previous winners of the Award are not eligible to participate. 

Employees of Equitable Bank, members of the Judging Panel, and persons with whom such persons are domiciled, are not eligible to participate.

Artwork Eligibility

9 .Artwork submissions must meet the eligibility criteria outlined on the EDAA website (“How to Apply) and take the form of ‘Digital Art.’ For the purposes of this award, Digital Art will be defined as a screen-based artwork that demonstrates an engagement with digital technologies in the process of its creation.  

10. The submitted artwork must have been created no more than five (5) years before the submission date. 

11. If the work includes its own specialized display – in the case of video installation, for example – Equitable Bank will not be held responsible for acquiring any additional materials required for exhibiting the work in its intended form. 

12. If the work requires specific software or hardware to experience, the Entrant may be asked to provide a screen-based demonstration of the work for adjudication purposes. 

13. Entrants are asked to identify if the submitted artwork has been made or is currently available elsewhere, with some specification as to same (online, museum or gallery, corporate collection, etc.). Work that has been previously distributed through a public forum will be considered for the Award, but may be excluded based on its provenance. 

14. Each submission must be accompanied by a completed application form, including Entrant’s name and title for the artwork, and a PDF or .doc version of their CV in order to be considered. 

Award Selection Process 

15. All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges (the “Judging Panel”), consisting of four external advisors who have based their practices in Canada and have demonstrated considerable knowledge of digital art, and one representative from Equitable Bank, who will determine the five winners of the award (“Award Winners”). 

16. Submitted artwork will be evaluated on originality, disciplinary relevance, technique, aesthetics, and concept. It is at the discretion of the Judging Panel whether or not submitted work can be considered Digital Art, for the purposes of this award. 

17. The Judging Panel’s determination will be final and no correspondence pertaining to the review process or the Judges’ determination will be entered into. 

18. Five (5) Winners will be selected and notified via email shortly thereafter. If email confirmation is not received from the Winner within 72 hours, three attempts will be made to reach the Winner via phone using the number disclosed in the application. 

19. If a Winner cannot be reached within one week of the first attempt, the Judging Panel may remove the Entrant’s name from the short list and select a new Entrant in replacement. 

20. Unsuccessful Entrants will be notified via email prior to September 15, 2024, 5:00pm EST. 

21. Award Winners are asked to refrain from publicizing they have won the award until Equitable Bank officially announces this to the public on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. 

22. Names and short biographies of each Winner, as well as select images from their artwork, will be shared as and through promotional materials, including but not limited to Equitable Bank and EQ Bank channels, a news release, and the Award website. This may include the production and distribution of a limited number of printed materials featuring images from the Winners artworks. No additional payment will be provided to the Winners for this use of their artwork. 

23. The Winners will be invited to attend the in-person award ceremony at Gallery TPW in Toronto the evening of Thursday, January 9, 2025, at 6:00pm EST.  

24. The Winners works will be featured in a touring group exhibition at Gallery TPW in Toronto (December 10, 2024 – January 11, 2025); EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Society in Calgary (April 1 – 31, 2025); and Centre for Art Tapes, Halifax (June 1 – 30, 2025). The five works will also be featured in a virtual exhibition produced by SpekWork in partnership with the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina (December 10, 2024 – June 30, 2025). The Winners will receive a single exhibition payment for the touring and virtual exhibitions, which will be organized by Equitable in partnership with each host institution. 

25. The Award Winners will each be awarded a $5,000.00 CAD monetary prize, issued on or before the date of the award ceremony on January 9, 2025. Equitable Bank will, upon the public announcement of the Award Winners, acquire each of the Award Winner’s submitted artwork, for use in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. No additional compensation will be provided to the Award Winner beyond the $5,000 monetary prize and the exhibition payment. 

26. The Award Winners will be offered, in addition to the monetary prize awarded, a one-year subscription to Pilot Art List. 

27. One of the Award Winners will be offered, in addition to both the monetary prize, exhibition payment, and Pilot Art List subscription, a one-month international residency with CYENS Maker Space in Nicosia, Cyprus in November 2025 and an artist showcase at their WIP Festival. The Award Winners will be asked to submit a short proposal for consideration for this opportunity between September 10-October 31, 2024, and will be notified of receipt at the award ceremony on January 9, 2025, 6:30pm EST. 

The Entrant’s Covenants 

28. The Entrant warrants and represents that: 

  • the information provided in the Equitable Bank Emerging Digital Artists Award application is true; 
  • they are sole owner, creator and authority of the artwork, or they have obtained all necessary consents from all other contributors and have the requisite legal authority to submit the artwork for consideration of the Award; 
  • they have the full right and authority to make the submission of the artwork to Equitable Bank; 
  • they accept sole responsibility and liability for any infringement of copyrights, trademarks, design rights, or any other intellectual property rights of any third person or entity achieved through artistic appropriations; and 
  • the submitted artwork does not violate any person’s rights of privacy or publicity or breach the contractual rights of any third party. 

29. The Entrant understands and agrees that Equitable Bank retains the right to ultimately grant or not grant the Award based on its sole and absolute discretion, which the Entrant agrees not to challenge in any forum or setting, whether public or private. 

30. The Entrant understands and agrees that Equitable Bank may invalidate any submission at any time if the Entrant is found to be in breach of these Terms and Conditions, and that the Entrant will be required to return any prize received. 

31. The Entrant agrees to indemnify and save Equitable Bank, its officers, directors, employees and agents, harmless from and against all liability of whatever nature to which Equitable Bank may be subject, which arises out of the Entrant’s submission under these Terms and Conditions, whether by reason of negligence, fraud, misrepresentation or other acts, errors and omissions for which the Entrant is in law responsible. 

General 

32. The selection of the Award Winners is at Equitable Bank’s sole and absolute discretion. 

33. At any time, Equitable Bank retains the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to: 

  • remove any submission from the competition; 
  • change the size and membership of the Judging Panel; 
  • cancel the Award; and 
  • vary the prize amounts. 

34. The exhibition of the Winners’ artworks may take place leading up to, concurrently, or following the announcement of the Award Winners. The duration, location, and organization of the Winners’ exhibition is at the discretion of Equitable Bank, who in turn agrees to pay each Winner for their participation. 

35. Subsequent to the announcement of the Award Winners and the acquisition of their artworks by Equitable Bank, the display of the Award Winners’ artworks at the offices of Equitable Bank will be at the Bank’s sole and absolute discretion, including but not limited to the form, manner, and media by which the artwork is displayed. 

36. Subsequent to the announcement of the Award Winners and the acquisition of their artworks by Equitable Bank, any public display of the Award Winners’ submitted artwork, defined as any display outside of the offices of Equitable Bank, will be approved and negotiated with the Award Winners prior to being made public. 

37. Equitable Bank will provide to the Award Winners approval and authority to use the Equitable Bank name and logo within specified parameters. 

38. Equitable Bank is not responsible for additional display, insurance, or miscellaneous costs related to the inclusion of the artwork in the competition. 

39. Except for the Award Winners, all submissions mailed in to Equitable Bank or uploaded to Equitable Bank’s online repository will be destroyed or deleted accordingly within 60 days after the Award Winners are announced. Equitable Bank will be under no liability whatsoever to the Entrant in respect of any submission so removed. 

40. All personal information provided by the five Winners during the applications process, including home address and contact information, will be retained for one (1) year following the announcement of the Award Winners. After one year has passed, the information will be securely destroyed by Equitable Bank, unless the Entrant indicates that they would like to receive additional information pertaining to the Equitable Bank art collection and related projects by checking the appropriate box on the application form. 

41. All personal information provided by unsuccessful Entrants during the applications process, including home address and contact information, will be securely destroyed by Equitable Bank within 60 days of announcing the Award Winners. 

42. These terms and conditions may be amended, deleted or added to from time to time at the discretion of Equitable Bank.