About 200 artists and cultural workers in Canada signed a statement announcing their boycott of the Scotiabank Photography Award in protest against Scotiabank’s investments in the Israeli company Elbit Systems, which produces weapons used in the genocide against Palestinians.
The boycott campaign is organized by the group No Arms in the Arts (NAITA), which called on major cultural organizations and festivals, such as the Toronto Biennial of Art and the CONTACT Festival, to pressure the bank to divest from these investments.
The statement described the award’s website and the bank’s financial support as a means of whitewashing the reputation of funders who profit from the arms industry.
The boycott is part of an ongoing campaign that previously targeted the bank’s sponsorship of other awards and festivals, including the Giller Prize and Hot Docs Festival, after the bank reinvested in Elbit Systems in 2025.
