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Bring home $5,000 and a chance to see your project realized!

Last year, nearly 150 public spaces ideas were submitted that blew our jury away. This year, we’re looking for the most creative, visionary, mind-blowing, awe inspiring, precedent-setting, media-worthy, radical, city-shifting, wish-I-had-thought-of-this ideas for public spaces. Think about projects that help us move, interact, work, commute, eat, relax, wayfind, play, exercise or gather.

WHAT’S THIS COMPETITION ALL ABOUT?
Toronto needs big ideas. And young people need a platform. The NXT City Prize is a way to get fresh new public space ideas – big or small – in front of people that can help make it happen.

WHAT COUNTS AS A PUBLIC SPACE?
We tend to think of a public space as just parks and plazas, but our public realm is actually any space that is open and accessible to the public without general
restrictions. Think marketplaces, beaches, sidewalks and even roads and laneways can be considered public spaces.

HOW FEASIBLE DOES THE IDEA NEED TO BE?
This is an ideas competition, so we do not expect you to submit budgets or final technical drawings. All ideas have potential for implementation with the right project team in place to support them. However, it is important to consider the scope of your project. For example, if a proposal requires major changes to infrastructure or needs utility service connections, it may score lower on feasibility by the jury.

WHAT TYPE OF MENTORSHIP IS AVAILABLE IF I WIN?
Should your submission win the 2016 NXT City Prize, you will have opportunity to work with a project team established to support and roll out the project, depending on feasibility.

DO SUBMISSIONS NEED TO BE ABOUT SPECIFIC PUBLIC SPACE?
Many types of submissions, including mobile apps and event ideas, do not relate to one public space in particular. However, the more specific your idea is suited
to one space, the more clearly the idea, benefits and feasibility can be articulated to the jury.