Toronto Urban Design Award submissions being accepted

TORONTO — The City of Toronto is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Toronto Urban Design Awards, which are held every second year to recognize achievements in urban design, architecture and landscape architecture.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the program.

Designers, developers, project owners, community groups, design students and others are invited to enter projects in a variety of categories, including:

elements
private buildings in context
public buildings in context
small open spaces
large places and/or neighbourhood designs
visions and master plans
student projects
public art

The public art category is new and is meant to recognize the growing significance that artwork contributes to the animation of the public realm across the city, states a release.

Design students are also encouraged to enter theoretical or studio projects relating to Toronto.

Submissions should outline how the project strives to meet the broad goals of the city’s Official Plan, supports equity, affordability, resilience, accessibility, integration and preservation of heritage resources, environmental sustainability and contributes to the city’s goals of re-urbanization.

There are two main areas of focus for the 2025 awards:

Sustainability that identifies how climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience have been included in the project design or concept.
Equity, reconciliation and diversity. Submissions will speak to how projects seek to achieve equitable outcomes for Indigenous, Black and equity-deserving groups, amplify their voices in how work was undertaken, strengthen relationships and build trust. Submissions will also highlight how projects took an equity and reconciliation approach to their methodology and how those priorities achieved outcomes, the city explains.

The deadline for submissions is noon on April 14.

The city will hold an awards ceremony in September to celebrate all entries and announce the winners.

More information is available on the city’s website: www.toronto.ca/tuda.