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2023 DesignTO Awards

The DesignTO Awards recognize design excellence.

We are pleased to announce the 11th annual DesignTO Awards, presented by Yabu Pushelberg and DIALOG, for the 2023 Festival.

The DesignTO Awards recognize design excellence at the DesignTO Festival, Canada’s leading and largest annual design festival that celebrates design as a multidisciplinary form of creative thinking and making. Presented by Yabu Pushelberg and DIALOG, the DesignTO Awards celebrates the talent, expression, and diversity of designers from Toronto and abroad.

 

Founders’ Award

This award recognizes the jury’s selection for the project that best aligns with DesignTO's purpose to bring people together to design a better future. Prize sponsored by the DesignTO Festival Founders.

Emerging Artist/Designer Award

This award recognizes the jury’s selection for the best work by an emerging artist/designer across the festival. Prize sponsored by Artscape Launchpad.
Things I Find Unimaginable
Jordan Sook

Best Product/Object Design Award

This award recognizes the best in custom work and limited-edition collections including furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, textiles and surface design. Prize sponsored by IDS Toronto.
Alisa McRonald

Community Wellbeing Award

Guided by DIALOG's Community Wellbeing Framework, this award is given by a diverse jury of DIALOG staff who are experts in the field.

Best in Festival Awards

These awards recognize the jury’s selections for the best exhibition, window installation, and event across the festival.
Best in Festival
Window Installation
Best in Festival
Exhibition
Andreas Krätschmer, Tania Love, Paul Ruban
Best in Festival
Event
Infrastructure Institute

People's Choice Awards

These awards are determined by public vote.
People's Choice Awards
Favourite Event
Gensler, BAIDA, BEAT
People's Choice Awards
Favourite Exhibition
People's Choice Awards
Favourite Window Installation
People's Choice Awards
Community Wellbeing

Juror's Choice Awards

These awards are given by individual jurors for their favourites in any category, including events, exhibitions, window installations, and individual works in the Festival.

Selected by Boris Yu

Ranee Lee, Amanda Huynh, Charlotte Reiter
Dying.Series Collective

Selected by Farah Yusuf

Malu Luecking
Part of Forecast
Native Women’s Association of Canada

Selected by Jennifer Kudlats

D.A.R. Proyectos

Selected by Joyce Mou

Adrienna Matzeg
Vardit Goldner
Part of Forecast

Selected by Khatereh Baharikhoob

How the Awards work

DesignTO recognizes design excellence in the Festival each year, in three categories: Best in Festival, Juror’s Choice, and People’s Choice, granting up to 26 DesignTO Awards. An annual jury of designers and industry experts vote for awards in three “Best in Festival” categories and for three “Juror’s Choice” each, while the public votes for four “People’s Choice” awards.

Awardees are recognized and celebrated through DesignTO’s extensive network.

Eligibility Criteria

Jurors can consider any Festival project for an award.

A selection of exhibitions and installations will be visited by the jurors in person during the Festival. Then the jurors will reconvene for the jurying session after the Awards application closes.

Awards Jury

Design experts and one former awardee are invited each year to participate in jurying the Awards program.

Jurors: Farah Yusuf (curator and educator), Khatereh Baharikhoob (Associate, Senior Urban Designer, DIALOG), Joyce Mou (Design Director, Interior Design, Yabu Pushelberg), Jennifer Kudlats (Architect and Co-Founder of StudioAC and educator), and Boris Yu (Cultural & Material Designer, Founder of Only One Yes and 2022 Award winner). The DIALOG jurors for the Best of Community Wellbeing award are Chen Cohen (Principal), Dorsa Jalalian (Senior Urban Designer), Mark Gorman (Mechanical Engineer, Associate), Nicole Moyo (Intern Architect, Urban Designer), and Michael Mousa (Sustainability Consultant).