IGNITE GALLERY Annual Call for Submissions 2026

Ignite Gallery is a contemporary exhibition space showcasing emerging talent from Canada’s leading art and design university. Continuing a 47-year tradition, Ignite Gallery amplifies the creative voices of OCAD University’s students and recent graduates. 

Each spring, Ignite Gallery releases its annual call for submissions. All applications are reviewed by the Gallery’s Selection Committee, which includes the Gallery’s Coordinators, as well as representatives from OCAD U’s faculty and student body. Only successful applicants will be contacted by the end of June. 

We welcome submissions from individual artists, designers, and curators, as well as group applications. While solo exhibitions will not be accommodated, individual applicants may be grouped together by the Selection Committee to form a curated exhibition. The committee strives to create a balanced program that reflects the diverse range of work produced across all OCAD U programs. 

Ignite Gallery is committed to exhibition equity and strongly encourages applications from members of equity-seeking communities, including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and individuals of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions. 

Submission Requirements 

All applications are reviewed by the Gallery’s Selection Committee. 

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. (EST), June 2, 2026 

Submission Format: 
Submit a single PDF file titled with your name (yourname.pdf) and email it to: ignitegallery@ocadu.ca. Your application must include: 

• Full Contact Information: Name, phone number, and email. 

• Website and/or Social Media Handles (if applicable). 

• Artist Statement (maximum 100 words). 

• Examples of Past Projects in a single PDF, including: 

• Up to 10 images or 5 minutes of time-based media (file size not exceeding 30 MB). 

• If applicable, including dimensions and materials. 

Ignite Gallery is dedicated to fostering an equitable exhibition space and actively supports applications from equity-seeking communities. 

Ignite Gallery is located on the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe (ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒃ), and the Huron-Wendat, within Treaty 13 (Toronto Purchase) territory.