A City in Celebration!

Call for Submissions

Submit your design proposal for a large-scale mural for Summer 2026.
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About

Harbourfront Centre invites artists to take centre stage in Canadian art and design by creating an original bold, large-scale mural for Toronto’s iconic waterfront—set to debut ahead of our summer season and the excitement of World Cup 2026.

This is a rare opportunity to showcase your unique artistic style while celebrating Toronto as a global city: one defined by energy and cultural connection. Inspired by the theme A City in Celebration, the mural should be inclusive, highlighting the vibrant diversity of Toronto, capturing the spirit of joy and play, and reflecting communities coming together across cultures and generations. The chosen artist will receive $10,000 to bring this mural to life.

As the world turns its attention to Toronto, your work will become a powerful symbol of welcome, connection and shared celebration, experienced by millions throughout an unforgettable summer in the city.

Harbourfront Centre is thrilled to offer this opportunity to leave a lasting mark on our campus and be part of a global moment that unites art, sport and community. Don’t miss your chance to help tell Toronto’s story on the world stage!

Submission Deadline: Friday, March 20, 2026, 11:59 pm EST  

Submission Criteria

Specifications
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Details:

  • Harbourfront Centre is seeking original designs for a 60’ x 17’ wall on the North-West side of its campus addressing the theme, A City in Celebration.
  • Protected imagery: Designs cannot include any registered trademarks, logos or protected imagery (including FIFA branding or sport team markings).
  • Overall mural dimensions: 60′ wide by 17′ high. Includes doors/utility fixtures (see images).
  • Sponsor recognition: Within the mural design, please reserve a clear placement area of 10 ft wide by 4 ft high in the bottom left corner for sponsor recognition and Harbourfront Centre branding (see specification image).
  • Duration of installation: The mural will be completed by May 2026 and will remain for a minimum of 24 months.
  • Please note that while the winning applicant’s design concept will be selected through this competition, the actual implementation and production of the final mural will be carried out by a third-party professional muralist team engaged by Harbourfront Centre. 

The selected artist will:

  • Receive a total artist fee of $10,000 CAD. If the chosen design is created by a team or collective, the lead application contact will be issued the artist fee payment.
  • Provide input to final high-resolution artwork files suitable for large-scale production (format to be confirmed).
  • Be recognized within Harbourfront Centre’s promotional efforts to announce the winner and highlight the completed mural, in addition to other public-facing opportunities, to be determined.


Download Mural Schematics

Submission Requirements
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Artists are asked to submit:

  • Contact information (name, email, phone, website or social handles)
  • A PDF or JPEG (at 300dpi) to-scale design reflecting the mural’s full dimensions of 17’ high x 60’ wide. The design may be submitted at a reduced scale (e.g., 1:10 or similar), provided the aspect ratio is maintained and the artwork clearly represents the full composition. Colour references and any specific production notes should accompany the mock-up.
  • The PDF or JPEG file does not need to be the same size as the actual mural but must be designed to-scale. The file should not exceed 10 MB.
  • A short, written description of the design concept (maximum 500 words), including how it responds to the theme.
  • An artist bio (maximum 250 words).

Submission deadline: Friday, March 20, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST.

Questions? Please contact visualarts@harbourfrontcentre.com

Eligibility
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  • Open to artists at all career levels.
  • Artists must be legally able to work in Canada and current residents of the GTA.
  • Artwork must be original and not infringe on third-party rights.
  • Artwork cannot include any generative AI–produced elements.

The artist retains copyright in their work. For the final selected design, Harbourfront Centre holds a non-exclusive license for promotional use.

Accessibility accommodations are available on request (formats, support preparing materials, etc.).

Harbourfront Centre is committed to fostering an inclusive arts community that reflects the full diversity of Toronto. We actively encourage submissions from artists who are part of communities that have been historically underserved in the arts sector.

Questions? Please contact visualarts@harbourfrontcentre.com

Submission Form

"(Required)" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Having trouble with this form? Email us at visualarts@harbourfrontcentre.com.

Name(Required)
Address(Required)
Email(Required)
Provide a short written description of your design concept, including how it responds to the theme 'A City in Celebration'. (Maximum: 500 words / approx. 3600 characters; spaces, punctuation marks, and carriage returns count as characters.)
Provide a short written bio of yourself. (Maximum: 250 words / approx. 1800 characters; spaces, punctuation marks, and carriage returns count as characters.)
Provide a download URL to the dropbox/drive where your design file is stored. We require a PDF or JPEG (at 300 dpi) to-scale design reflecting the mural’s full dimensions of 17’ high x 60’ wide. The design must be submitted at a reduced scale (e.g., 1:10 or similar), ensuring the aspect ratio is maintained and the artwork clearly represents the full composition. Colour references and any specific production notes should accompany the mock-up.
By submitting to this call, I acknowledge and agree that
  • I am legally able to work in Canada and am a current resident of the Greater Toronto Area.
  • My artwork submission is original and does not infringe on any third-party rights.
  • My artwork submission does not include any generative AI–produced elements.
  • If my artwork submission is selected by the jury, I grant Harbourfront Centre a non-exclusive license for promotional use
Eligibility Confirmation(Required)

Before you submit, please ensure that the link to your dropbox/drive is accurate and functional; if your design file cannot be retrieved in a straight-forward manner, we will be unable to accept your submission.