Do you live with Chronic Pain, in Canada? Have you heard of the CPS Art Awards? The CPS is the Canadian Pain Society, a group of pain clinicians (healthcare professionals who treat pain, including massage therapists, nurses, occupational therapists, physicians, physiotherapists, and more), researchers who study pain, healthcare students and research trainees interested in pain, and Patient Partners like me (although the CPS uses the term PWLE or “Person With Lived Experience” of pain).
Since 2021 the CPS has been running a free annual event that allows Canadians living with pain to share their views on the topic in a creative way; through the CPS Art Awards. Each year there’s a different theme, and for 2026 it’s “How we feel pain”.
To participate, simply create an original artwork and submit it through the CPS webpage by February 15, 2026. Your artwork can be dance (as video), drawing, music (as an audio or video file), photography, poetry (as a photo), painting, or another art form.
Whatever medium you choose, your submitted artwork has to be an independently-created original, without using AI or a group approach, and created specifically for this year’s theme.
You can choose from any one of three categories: 1) Classical art forms (e.g. a drawing or painting, or a short story/poem submitted as a photo or screen-capture); Photography, video (including dance), and music; or 3) Scientific visualizations (e.g. MRI, microscopy), a category mostly for clinicians and pain researchers.
There’s no real prize – except bragging rights! – but there’s no cost to enter. The “Top 20” entries across all categories, as determined by the CPS’ Art Awards Jury, will be showcased in printed format during the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM, or conference) of the CPS in Québec City at the end of April. You won’t have to worry about shipping your artwork, though; the CPS will have the selected works printed as posters (so you’ll be asked to select a thumbnail image to display – alongside a QR code for any audio or video submissions!). And one Overall Winner will be selected by votes of CPS members from across Canada, so that the winning artwork can be announced at the ASM (you don’t have to be there to win!).
I’m already working on my submission, another watercolour painting; I’ve sketched out my overall plan, chosen pigments (colours), and plan to start painting next weekend.
For all the details, visit the CPS website:
https://www.canadianpainsociety.ca/artawards