Six young contemporary artists have earned a spot on the short list for the prestigious $50,000 Sobey Art Award.

The annual prize honours Canadian artists under the age of 40 who have exhibited in a public or commercial gallery in the past 18 months. The winner receives $50,000, while the other four finalists receive $5,000 each.

Representing five Canadian regions, the competitors vying for this year's edition include:

• Irish-born, Kamloops, B.C.-based ceramic artist Brendan Lee Satish Tang, representing the West Coast and Yukon.
• Winnipeg narrative-based illustrator Daniel Barrow, representing the Prairies and The North.
• Kenyan-born, Toronto and New York-based multimedia artist Brendan Fernandes, representing Ontario.
• Montreal muti-disciplinary artist Patrick Bernatchez, representing Quebec.
• New York-based video installation collaborators Emily Vey Duke (of Halifax) and Cooper Battersby (of Penticton, B.C.), representing the Atlantic region.

"The Sobey Art Award highlights the brightest in contemporary art," Sarah Fillmore, chief curator of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and curator of the Sobey Art Award, said in a statement.

"Faced with such a rich slate of artists from which to choose, the panel has worked hard to reduce the long list and advance these five finalists."

The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal will showcase selected works by the 2010 shortlisted artists from Oct. 8 to Jan. 3.

The 2010 winner — who will join the ranks of past recipients like Brian Jungen, Annie Pootoogook and David Altmejd — will be announced at a gala at the Montreal museum on Nov. 18.