The City of Toronto is the first Canadian city to be designated a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Creative City of Media Arts for its leadership in film, music, digital media and forms of cultural expression using technology. Through this designation the City aims to strengthen the role of creativity and culture in the lives of everyone in Toronto and to communicate its importance in sustainable urban development.
The Creative Cities of Media Arts work together to support cultural production and engagement, and to sharing inspiration, technological innovation and best practices.
Toronto is celebrating this summer as the FIFA World Cup 2026™ ignites the city, with the waterfront as a key focal point. Toronto Made, The World in a City Illuminated, showcases the diverse, playful and innovative creative voices of the city and their creations through large-scale projections across the historic Malting Silos.
Time: 9 p.m. to midnight
Location: Malting Silos, East Side (Toronto Music Garden)
Toronto has incredible video game studios that make extraordinary games. This spotlight showcases their creative skills and the wide range of games made right here in Toronto.
Cococucumber, Blue Isle Studios, Starspray Studios, Pressed Elephant, Reset Games Studio, Sugamu Studio, Rocket Adrift Games, Eleos Games, Peculiar Path, Summit Digital, Lofty Sky Entertainment, City From Naught, Greyhaven Craft, Prism Inc., Pushing Vertices, Team Acorn, Virtual Unreality, Secret Scroll Software, Soft Rains, Build Imagine Go Go Studios, Starstruck Studios, Invalid Symbol, Overscoped Studios, Drinkbox Studios, F5 Digital, Ravine Studios Inc., Mighty Yell Studios, Numizmatic Games Corp., Capybara Games, Octogroup, Flawed Designs, Digital Centurion Games, Hyper Hippo Entertainment, Hiro Technologies, Swanpunching Games, Sago Mini and Torn Banner Studios
Produced by Canadian Game Awards
Supported by Soft Rains
National Film Board of Canada is a global leader in non-fiction storytelling and digital media. As a public institution, the NFB empowers talented creators to produce compelling documentaries and animation that inspire, educate, and connect audiences worldwide.
Quantum Wampum is an Indigenous artist collective that blends traditional Indigenous knowledge with cutting-edge digital technology. Their work bridges the gap between ancestral teachings and modern cosmic and ecological realities, reframing Indigenous wisdom through digital environments. They explore how Indigenous concepts of interconnectedness and balance with the natural world can inspire empathetic, sustainable futures.
Quantum Wampum Collective co-founded by James Monkman and Brian T. Moore
Illuminating Higher Education represents the intellectual and artistic heart of the city, four of Toronto’s world-class post-secondary institutions come together to showcase their incredible creative talent.
OCADU, Sheridan College, York University and Toronto Metropolitan University
Xinyi Tian, Samuel Wasserman, Tian Cao, Olivia Wilyman, Belinda Zhang, Gabrielle MacIntosh, Ghazal Tahernia, Min Chung, Darya Ozparlek, Kenny Tran, Peter Samanek, Jeffrey Norman, Charlotte Rose Lavoie-Auspert, Yasmine Karaman and Marcella Driver-Moliner
Anna Li, Tamsin Carne, Meihong Liu, Cassandra Pasquantonio, Debbie Kaye Tamarra, Sumin Kim, Lumin Yang, Veronika Kostyuk, Robin Cai, Keheng Li, Rachael Corston, Quiri Lin, Yu Xi Jin, Shijin Wang, Wangjio Zhao, Thad Pasco, Liuhan Dong, Yu Shan Wang, Siwon Park, Venya Aggarwal, Isabelle Yu, Jia Lee, Max Kershaw, Valeriya Khvan, E.Gilespie, Lachlan Brown-Sutherland, Justin Martin, Anthony Kalambayi and Rachael Goombs
Jingwen Zhang, Julia Scheerer, Philip Michalowski, Gianluca Sabatini, Gavin Johnstone, Xingbang Tang, Robert Jamrocha-Tullo, Junxi Li, Robin Tarnocai
Toronto Metropolitan University Artists: Jess Binns, Vivian Liu, Raven Zhang Liu, Ranjit Khela, Nahro Hakimi and Claire Watt
Jess Binns, Vivian Liu, Raven Zhang Liu, Ranjit Khela, Nahro Hakimi and Claire Watt
InterAccess is an artist-run gallery, educational facility and production studio in Toronto dedicated to emerging practices in art and technology. It is Ontario’s only organization devoted exclusively to electronic media art, supporting creative works involving robotics, generative AI, interactive installations and sound.
Alison Clark, Annette Mangaard, Nathan Bruce, Cell Driver, Christina Dovolis, CIRCLE FOUR, Cymatiste, Dan Tapper, Dave Kemp, Diana Lynn VanderMeulen, Eden Schwinghamer, Emily Nicoll, Evangeline Y Brooks, Haoran Chang, Jonny Klynkramer, Jordan Shaw, Kahani (कहानी), Lauren Warrington, Meghan Cheng, Pegah Peivandi, Quinn Hopkins, Rubiat Fusigboye, Sari-Sari Xchange, Shihab, Sophia Oppel, Tobias Williams, Tristan Sauer, Willy LeMaitre and Zebv Diez