Entries are currently being accepted for the K-Days Design Competition, hosted by Explore Edmonton Corporation, in partnership with MADE.
This competition is returning for the second year in a row to Edmonton’s popular summer fair, K-Days. This year’s theme is “Throwing Shade” and will provide entrants a chance to design a unique, temporary shading structure for the exhibition grounds and win a grand prize of $25,000.
Last year, the competition called for inspiring designs for unique street furniture at its annual K-Days fair and exhibition and was based on the theme of “Reimagining K-Days: Celebrating Summer in Our City.”
The grand prize was awarded to Edmonton-based firm OneTwoSix Design Inc. for their entry “Pop-upsicle” benches and tables that will provide a playful and Instagram-worthy setting for the summer festival site. They will be producing up to 20 of these designs for K-Days and other events hosted by Explore Edmonton.
K-Days began more than 130 years ago as the Edmonton Exhibition and was originally held by the Edmonton Agricultural Society at the original Fort Edmonton site. In the late 1800s, the exhibition was a celebration of technology and innovation and people travelled from all over to experience it and see the latest advances in agriculture, industry and science.
With rising interest in the Wild West as well as Alberta’s heritage in the 1960s, the exhibition expanded its focus to blend modern innovation with historical tribute. As a result, the exhibition was renamed “Klondike Days” as a nod to the history of the Canadian Gold Rush in Edmonton. Through the renaming of the exhibition to its current name, K-Days, the event has served as a gathering place and celebration of summer for Northern Alberta.
The deadline to submit an entry for this year’s competition is December 7, 2023.
For more information, click here.