The Jury

Sarah Edo is a curator and writer based in Toronto. She has curated a range of exhibitions and public programs at various museums, galleries, and festivals, including the Gardiner Museum, the Toronto Biennial of Art, Gallery TPW, the Art Gallery of Burlington, BAND Gallery, and Images Festival. She has held curatorial support roles at MOCA Toronto and the MacKenzie Art Gallery, and is currently the TD Curatorial Fellow at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. Sarah’s art criticism and writing have been published in Studio Magazine, Gallery 44, Topical Cream, BlackFlash Magazine, and CMagazine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Cinema Studies and Gender Studies, as well as a master’s degree in Gender Studies, both from the University of Toronto.

A senior design director at Lemay, Jeff Ma explores the multifaceted connections between design and wellbeing, addressing the physical, mental, cultural, and ecological dimensions of space through collaborations. Over the last 15 years, his work has explored how genuine dialogues drive thoughtful design that fosters inclusion, agency and belonging across multidisciplinary teams. His portfolio of work includes urban, landscape, cultural, institutional, residential, transportation and art installations across Canada.

Michaela MacLeod is an artist and designer, and co-founder of Polymetis, an art and architecture studio creating site-responsive memorials, sculptures, and installations. Originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, she explores the evolving relationship between sculpture and civic space, crafting resonant works that foster environmental connection and a deeper sense of belonging. Her practice draws on deep time, natural processes, and solar geometry to reveal the quiet structures that shape how we experience our surroundings. By reframing the familiar, MacLeod offers viewers unexpected perspectives rooted in context. Her work reflects a commitment to thoughtful, place-based design that strengthens connections between people and landscape.

Eric Mutrie is a Senior Editor at Azure magazine. After studying architecture in university, he developed a lasting enthusiasm for telling stories about design and the built environment. Over the course of his media career, he has interviewed industry titans like Frank Gehry and Faye Toogood, identified new talents and trends at international furniture fairs, and cast a spotlight on the social and sustainable changemakers who are moving the world forward. Eric has over 10 years of editorial experience, including previous positions as the Managing Editor of Sharp and Associate Editor of Designlines.

Michael Nyarkoh is a Toronto based creative producer and cultural programmer. He has worked at Nomad, Ace Hotel Toronto, and Holt Renfrew as a producer of community-driven events and activations. He is a co-founder of the Black arts, fashion and culture print publication Tone Study, and founder of digital store/library NSUO. Michael’s practice centres around building moments of connection and discovery through innovative experiences and methods of gathering. When Michael is not plotting via Gmail, he is obsessing over pop culture criticism podcasts, drinking cortados, and people watching.