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UBC Okanagan professor Samuel Roy-Bois is on the 2025/26 Sobey Award shortlist. A winner is to be announced this fall. (Image Credit: UBC Okanagan)
By Vernon Matters staff
Arts leaders

More national award recognition for UBCO

May 27, 2026 | 1:08 PM

The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan is on somewhat of an awards roll.

Visual arts professor Samuel Roy-Bois has been shortlisted for this year’s Sobey Art Award, one of the most prestigious honours in Canadian contemporary art.

Last year UBCO artist Tania Willard won the award that comes with a $100,000 prize.

Roy-Bois, a Lake Country-based sculptor has a  practice that spans installation, photography and architectural thinking.

Roy-Bois’ practice is grounded in sculpture and installation, with photography playing a supporting role. Wood is the material that anchors much of his work, chosen not only for its accessibility but for its cultural and architectural associations.

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“I’ve been working with wood since I was a kid,” he said in a media release. “It’s part of everyday life. Our homes are made of it; our furniture is made of it. It’s a material that can be transformed with very simple tools, and that allows me to speak about architecture and the built environment.”

by Vernon Matters staff
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