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The City of Toronto has launched an urban ideas competition which invites young people to help share in the shaping of Toronto’s future. Local urban strategy studio Distl is teaming up with the City to host the NXT City Prize, and inviting people under 30 to submit creative ideas that could help improve Toronto's public spaces. The competition asks young people to submit innovative, creative ways to improve any of Toronto's many public spaces. Participants can submit their ideas alone, or in teams of up to four. Winning entries will be determined by how well the idea contributes to the local community and to the city as a whole.
“The NXT City Prize is an ideal platform for youth to take ownership of their city and to apply their creative talents to solve everyday challenges with Toronto's urban spaces," said Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner for the City of Toronto. “This is a chance for young, creative minds to offer new ideas and see them realized.”
A panel of judges will select the winning individual or team, who will receive $5,000 cash and the chance to see their prize-winning idea implemented. Two runner-up prizes of $2,500 each will also be awarded for the most original entry and for the top entry by an individual/team under 18 years of age. The judges will make their selections based on a variety of criteria, including originality, innovation, feasibility, impact and clarity. The winner will have the opportunity to work alongside a group of experts and will receive $10,000 in seed funding to help realize their vision.
“The goal of this competition is to encourage young people to think critically about how we’re using public spaces and move away from conventional thinking about those spaces,” said Distl co-founder, Mackenzie Keast. “It’s their future and their opportunity to shape the city in which they live.” The competition runs until July 31, after which winners will be announced at an outdoor awards gala on August 14. More information is available at http://www.nxtcityprize.com.
