Application Deadline
Friday, November 6, 2026 by 11:59pm ET

With insight gained from the ‘design is everything’ program, we invite you to apply to develop a project presentation for a group showcase, curated by DesignTO and JAYU. This one-day event will be featured as part of the 17th annual DesignTO Festival, January 22 – 31, 2027, in Toronto.

We are looking for projects that demonstrate how applying design thinking and principles can be used to close the gap between the world as it is and as it could be. Each project must meet the following criteria:

  • Affect a real person or community.
  • Informed by at least one direct conversation with someone impacted.
  • Propose something that could feasibly exist in the real world.
This could look like:
 
  • Reimagining a space, system, or experience that isn’t working for the people who use it.
  • Designing something that fosters a sense of belonging within a community you are connected to.
  • Prototyping an object of functional value, something that meets a real need, designed with the people who would use it in mind.
  • Proposing a new model for how something could be made, shared, or sustained.
  • Responding to a gap you’ve observed in your own neighborhood, culture, or daily life.
  • Telling the story of something historically overlooked and offering a vision of what it could become.
 
We welcome all types of creative disciplines. Your project can be object-based or experiential, digital or handmade, visual or performance-based. What matters most is that your work is rooted in something real.
 
Your project presentation can take many shapes: a talk, a demonstration, a performance, a film screening, or something more interactive. Alongside your presentation, you’ll also have the chance to share supporting material such as prototypes/models, images, or an installation to help bring your work to life.
 
Please note that you don’t have to be a polished public speaker to apply. There are many ways to present your work, and we’d be happy to help you find and support a format that feels most comfortable for you.
 
All participants in the 2026-27 DesignTO Youth program are invited to apply. Please note that only a selection of applications will be accepted, and participation in the workshop series does not guarantee inclusion in the showcase. Projects are ideally new work, but existing work that has not yet been publicly shown will be considered. Applications of solo and/or collaborative work will be considered.
 

All submissions must include the following:

  1. A description of the proposed project (max. 300 words);
    1. Consider the following questions in writing your description:
      • What is your project about and what inspired it?
      • What person, place, or community does it engage?
      • How does it connect to the themes of ‘design is everything.’?
      • What form will your presentation take? A talk, demonstration, performance, film screening, or something else? Will your set up include objects, images, or an installation?
  2. 1–2 precedents that have informed your project (max. 100 words)
    Share one or two existing projects or works that relate to or have inspired your proposal. These can be from any creative medium. Tell us briefly why they matter to your work.
     
  3. A short bio on you and your creative practice (max. 100 words)
    If working collaboratively, include a bio for each member of the group.
     
  4. 1–3 images of your process or work (max. 1MB per image)
     
  5. A video link (if applicable)
     
  6. Your contact information

Deadlines

Submissions are due Friday, November 6, 2026 by 11:59pm Eastern Time.

Submit to the Showcase!

FAQ

There is no fee for this submission or for participating in the showcase. However, if selected, you will be responsible for presenting your work at the venue in Toronto, including any transportation costs. Artist fees will be paid to artists selected for the showcase.

The showcase will be a one-day event as part of the 2027 DesignTO Festival. The showcase and reception may be held in The Catalyst space at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). We reserve the right to modify dates and delivery methods if required.

Successful submissions will be notified by email by the week of November 16, 2026.

Email questions to DesignTO Programs Coordinator, adé abegunde at [email protected]