The University Library First Edition Photobook Award was launched in 2015, with Alison Skyrme, Special Collections and liaison librarian and Christopher Manson, Image Arts instructor leading the awards program. The award was initiated in relation to work completed as part of a third year Image Arts course titled: The Photographic Book. For the course, students learn design and composition principles and are required to conceive of, and produce, their own photobook from their own photography.
“Over the eight years the award has been granted I have always been impressed with the quality of the work that the photography students produce,” says Skyrme.
Each year student works are submitted for the award and the winning photobooks are selected by panel. In addition to the award, the photobooks are purchased by the Library to become part of its book collection. They are housed by Special Collections and are available for viewing in the Archives and Special Collections reading room. The acquisition of these titles is supported by a donation from The Photographic Historical Society of Canada.
“Every year our collection of student books grows, we have 54 in the collection now, and it becomes a stronger and more impressive record of the creativity and talent of the photography students over time,” says Skyrme.
For the winter semester the Award winning books from the past three years will be on view in the exhibit cases on the 4th floor of the library, located just outside our reading room doors.
A complete list of award winners can be found in the First Edition Photobook Award collection record.
2020 Award Winners:
Metamorphosis by Julie Ng
Interplay of Light by Jordana Petruccelli
Biotypes by Gabrielle Tyrie
Two Minutes of Progress Avenue by Austin Waddell
The Disposable Glitch by Teagan Lopes
Surveillance Culture by Yarden Haddie
2021 Award Winners:
My Mennonite Mother by Sarah Bauman
No, You by Freida Wang
You, The Light & Nothing Else by Christina Oyawale
Right Here. Right Now by Deion Squires-Rouse
Mapping Colour by Abygail De Leon
Plant Kingdom by Zongzhe Cai
Fag! by Tyler Da Silva
I Beg You to Have Patience by Caeden Wigston
My Mennonite Mother by Sarah Bauman, 2020 
No, You by Freida Wang, 2020 
You, The Light, and Nothing Else by Christina Oyawale, 2020 
Right Here. Right Now by Deign Squires-Rouse 
Mapping Colour by Abygail De Leon, 2020 
Plant Kingdom by Zongzhe Cai, 2020 
Fag! by Tyler Da Silva, 2020 
I Beg You to Have Patience by Caeden Wigston, 2020
The full range of books created for consideration for the 2021 awards can be viewed on the TMU Artspace webpage “First Edition Photobook Show 2021“
2022 Award Winners:
Back Book by Pengxiang Zhou
Shrieking Sisterhood by Kayla Ward
The Paper by Kayla Ward
Calm and Chaos by Kay Nadjiwon
Rosemary and Thyme by Katya Lina
Need Me by Payton Keeler Cox
Meu Avo by Andrew Moreno
Bring Back the Ice to the Lake by Yixuan Mark Wang
