Sarah Anne Johnson, the Winnipeg artist who won the $50,000 Grange Prize for photography in 2008, has been named a finalist for the Sobey Art Award.

Johnson, who creates playful images incorporating dolls and other toys, was nominated Wednesday as the Sobey finalist representing the Prairies and the North.

The annual $50,000 award for Canadian contemporary art is given by the Sobey Art Foundation and administered by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) in Halifax. Curators from across the country select five finalists from a long list of 25 young artists.

Johnson was deemed a young artist to watch after her surprise win of the Grange Prize at age 31. Her work has been collected by the Guggenheim Museum, the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The other Sobey nominees are:

  • Atlantic region: Zeke Moores, a sculptor from Conception Bay South, N.L.
  • Quebec: Manon De Pauw, a video, installation and performance artist from Montreal.
  • Ontario: Christian Giroux and Daniel Young, a Toronto-based duo who create sculpture, public art and film installations.
  • West Coast: Charles Stankievech, a co-founder of the Yukon School of Visual Arts and creator of innovative installations.

Work by the shortlisted artists will be featured in an exhibition at AGNS from Sept. 17 to Jan. 8, 2012.

The winner will be announced during in Halifax Oct. 13.