Toronto through Our Eyes
Community Showcase
opens 15 august 2025
PRESENTED BY SEEINGHAPPY AND THE CANADIAN POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY ASSOCIATION (CPPA)
The Community Exhibition opens on 18 November 2025.
Prompt
Capture a moment in Toronto that radiates belonging, beauty, and hope. Look for everyday scenes, whether large or small, that spark joy, connection, or pride in our city. Let your photo tell a story of kindness, resilience, and unity, perhaps a neighbor lending a hand, a splash of color in an unexpected place, or a gathering that bridges cultures. Frame it so that viewers see Toronto as connected, compassionate, and alive with possibility.
Short version: Through your lens, reveal Toronto’s welcoming beauty, vibrant connections, inspiring sense of belonging, and spirit of hope.
Inspiration
Toronto is often celebrated as one of the world’s most livable cities, yet many residents, especially youth and adults facing long wait times for care, are struggling with mental health challenges. In the face of these realities, we believe that art can be a powerful force for well-being.
Photography helps us:
- Notice the beauty and kindness around us.
- Create a communal work of art, building confidence and mastery.
- Connect with others by sharing our perspectives.
- Reframe challenges, countering the negative.
- Tell stories that inspire others to imagine a brighter future.
By focusing our lenses on the moments and places that make us proud to call Toronto home, we create a collective archive of optimism, a reminder that hope, belonging, and unity are part of Toronto’s DNA.
And while this initiative begins in Toronto, its approach could be a model for any city in the world by inviting communities everywhere to pause, notice, and celebrate the positive in their own streets, neighborhoods, and shared spaces.
Behind the Collaboration
This unique collaboration between SeeingHappy, a global nonprofit dedicated to fostering positivity and well-being through photography, and the Canadian Positive Psychology Association (CPPA) brings the science of well-being into everyday life through the arts.
Together, we aim to turn moments of inspiration into lasting habits that support individual and community flourishing. The “Toronto Through Our Eyes” showcase is designed not just as a contest but as a citywide movement that fosters civic pride, a sense of belonging, and mental wellness.
Showcase Details
- Eligibility: Open to all Toronto residents and visitors with access to a camera (cell phone or DSLR).
- Theme: Hope, unity, belonging, and joy in Toronto.
- Submission Period: 15 August 2025 to 17 October 2025
- Community Exhibition: 18 November 2025 at The Bentway, 250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto, ON M5V 3K9, Canada
Prizes:
1st Place: $200 Amazon Gift Card + feature in CPPA and SeeingHappy newsletters, social media, and PR campaigns. Winners may also receive a free membership to CPPA.
2nd Place (two winners): $100 Amazon Gift Card each + feature in CPPA and SeeingHappy newsletters.
Exhibitions: Selected photographs to be featured in potential pop-up community exhibitions across Toronto, with a major community exhibition in partnership with The Bentway. Prizes will be presented at the Winners’ Award Ceremony at The Bentway on 18 November 2025.
Selection Criteria
- Technical Skill: Clarity, lighting, composition, and overall image quality.
- Impact: Ability to capture the viewer’s imagination and evoke hope, unity, belonging, or joy.
- Communication: How effectively the photo and caption work together to share a moment that reflects the theme and the spirit of Toronto.
Please note that this showcase is open to residents of Toronto, Canada and anyone who has visited Toronto.
