2026 Vector Festival Gamemaking Residency & Showcase Call for Artists/Gamemakers

2026 Vector Festival Gamemaking Residency & Showcase Call for Artists/Gamemakers

Application Deadline: Monday, March 23, 2026

Click here to learn more about this opportunity.

Apply at this link

OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION:

InterAccess’s Vector Festival and the RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designersare excited to announce a Career Launcher providing the opportunity for one (1) graduating artist/game-maker from the OCAD U community to participate in the Vector Festival Gamemaking Residency & Showcase in July 2026.

Vector Festival is an experimental media arts festival dedicated to showcasing digital games and creative media practices. Presenting works across a dynamic range of exhibitions, screenings, performances, lectures, and workshops, Vector acts as a critical bridge between emergent digital platforms and new media art practice. The festival is proud to be a participatory and community-oriented initiative organized by InterAccess in Toronto, Ontario.

Vector Festival’s Gamemaking Residency supports the development of conceptual games and includes a year-long membership to InterAccess’s studio, critique and thematic support throughout the game development process from the curator, a public Open Studio supported by Toronto Games Week, and a showcase opportunity as part of Vector Festival 2026.

RESPONSIBILITIES & TIMELINE:

Working closely with the residency Curator, Gamemaker residents will be introduced to guiding themes and concepts to develop new games with guidance and support from peers, InterAccess Programming Manager, and technicians. Completed games will be showcased in a public exhibition during Vector Festival 2026.  

Key dates include:

Call for Applications Open: February21, 2026

ApplicationDeadline: March 23, 2026

Artists Selectedand Notified: April 30, 2026

ResidencyDates: May 19 – July 17 2026

• Keynote Kick-off - May 2026
• Group Critique #1 – facilitated by Curator – early June 2026
• Open Studio with Toronto Games Week – June 13 2026 (TBC)
• Group Critique #2 – facilitated by Curator – late June 2026 (TBC)

Exhibition Dates:July 18-20, 2026, with Opening Reception on July 18, 7-9 PM

PARTNER:

InterAccess
https://interaccess.org/

32 Lisgar Street - Units 4 & 5, Toronto ON

ELIGIBILITY:
 

• Current OCAD U undergraduate students with 15+ completed credits who will be graduating in 2026, or
• Current OCAD U Master’s students graduating in 2026

**Priority will be given to applicants who have not previously received a Career Launcher opportunity

**Applicants who do not meet the OCAD U eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply to the General Gamemaking Residency call at the same application form: https://www.interaccess.org/vector-festival/vf26/vf26-gamemaking-residency-application

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Please provide the following information via online form submission:

• Contact info (Name, phone, and email)
• Artist bio or statement (150 words)
• Statement on Game-making Experience (200 words)
• Game Portfolio/Examples of Related Work (links)
• Statement on Interest in Curatorial Theme

RATE:

$644.00 CAD - Exhibition Fee 

APPLICATION PORTAL:

Apply at this link

Click here for more information about our Career Launchers opportunities.