Image: From Theory to Practice: A Caring Design Lab.

OCAD University congratulates its community members who have won 2024 DesignTO Awards, following the DesignTO Festival which took place this year from January 19 to 28.

The DesignTO Awards recognize excellence at the DesignTO Festival, Canada’s leading and largest annual design festival that celebrates design as a multidisciplinary form of creative thinking and making. The Awards are supported by KPMB, celebrating the talent, expression and diversity of designers from Toronto and abroad.

Here are the winners from the OCAD U community.

Best in Festival – Exhibition
BLOOD, WATER & BATHURST STREET

Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design (IAMD) grad Naomi Daryn Boyd’s participatory, textile-based mapping project explored the histories, communities, and journeys that have shaped these lands. 

Best in Festival - Window Installation 
Ribbon 

Material Art and Design instructor Brad Turner's exhibition was a modular collection of handblown glass “ribbons” with integrated lighting in a multitude of colours.

People’s Choice Awards – Favourite Event
Connect & Collaborate: A Design Salon

Strategic Foresight and Innovation alums Milena Tasic and Elizabeth Lane led this event at Staples Studio Corktown. This was a salon-style, in-person gathering, focused on getting to know others in the Toronto design scene, fostering creativity, and sparking innovation.

Juror’s Choice Award (selected by Alexandra ‘Alita’ Gonzalez-Vučina)
Introducing: The Biodiversity+ Design Toolkit

Dr. Kathy Moscou, Interim Dean, Faculty of Design, co-led this panel with Karel Vredenburg, Global VP of UX Research and Head of Canada Studios for IBM. They spoke to the value of biodiversity to inform various aspects of design and contribute to the betterment of humanity and a greener future.

Juror’s Choice Award (selected by Quan Thai)
From Theory to Practice: A Caring Design Lab

Associate Professor Ranee Lee is the founder of DESIGNwith, which is opened its doors to share its latest innovative soft goods line in collaboration with the Regent Park Sewing Studio to reveal design for inclusion beyond products — the co-design methodology.

Other Recent News

Partial x OCAD University Artist Showcase Fall 2025 Call for Artists

Partial and OCAD U’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers are excited to announce the return of our partnership which provides an exceptional career opportunity for OCAD U student artists and recent alumni. Selected artists will be given complimentary 2 year Pro Accounts ($240 value) on Partial and permanent inclusion as featured artists within the OCAD University Artist Showcase on Partial to display their works, and administrate artwork sales and rentals.

2026 Sankofa Square Black History Month Digital Exhibition Call for Artists

Sankofa Square and the Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers are excited to announce the return of the annual Black History Month Digital Exhibition Career Launcher providing an exhibition opportunity for artists from the OCAD U community to exhibit their work on the square’s digital screens. Artists are invited to submit artworks to be displayed across five (5) digital screens for the duration of Black History Month in February 2026.

Call for OCAD U Vendors – Bamtori Studio JingleBam Market

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is partnering with Bamtori Studio, a Toronto-based creative design and lifestyle brand that celebrates local and emerging artists by hosting community art markets in the GTA. A small, curated group of OCAD U students and recent alumni will be invited to share an OCAD U table to sell products and artworks as part of Bamtori Studio’s JingleBam Market.