The 2026 edition of the Waterway Design Challenge was launched on December 4, 2025. Participants had until March 23, 2026, to submit their ideas.
Through this year’s Waterway Design Challenge, student designers, artists and visionaries explored the relationship between water, culture and place. The initiative invited imaginative, water-based installations that engage the public and honour the Ottawa River’s cultural significance, whether by highlighting history, fostering social connection or promoting sustainability.
A record‑breaking 41 teams from schools across Canada submitted proposals this year. After careful deliberation, the jury is pleased to present the winning design. This project is conceptually daring, thoughtfully developed, contextually responsive, and well positioned to meet the challenges of the moment.
Winning design: Passage and Place
Team: Niraj Dayanandan, Abigail Dawe-Roy, Pierre-Luc Gingras and Raquel Stewart Higginson
School: McGill, Université de Montréal, University of Manitoba
Second place: Tessouat Park
Team: Sidonie Laing-Bégin, Lilly Zegerius, Calli Swain and Ivan Price
School: Carleton University
Honourable mention: Kébec Place
Team: Christian Zollner, Ryan Yu
School: University of Waterloo
Past editions
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