For 40 years, Applied Arts Media has inspired, informed and celebrated the creative community. Through editorial coverage and the Applied Arts Awards, we showcase the ideas, craft and innovation shaping visual communications in Canada and beyond—and recognize the work that holds up.
Creative Excellence. Celebrated.
The Applied Arts celebrate creativity in visual communications. Since 1992, we've helped advertising agencies, design firms, photographers, illustrators, and emerging artists gain industry-wide exposure—building careers, collaborations, and community across Canada and beyond.
All Entries are judged by an Internationally recognized jury of award-winning professionals who are actively working in advertising and design.
Winning work is showcased: in Applied Arts magazine, online in the Winners Gallery and archive, and shared across social media.
Winning work is showcased in Applied Arts magazine, online Winners Gallery and archive and shared across our social channels.
Opportunities for every stage
- Young Professionals: Explore Young Blood categories—open to entrants with under five years of professional experience in advertising or design, and under three years for Photography and Illustration.
- Small-Community/Business Professionals: Exclusively for CANADIAN creators in smaller markets or single-establishments. Small Community categories weigh local resources and budgets during judging.
- Students: If you're currently in secondary, post-secondary or graduate studies, you're only eligible for the Student Awards, where entries are judged alongside peers at a similar level.
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News
A Conversation Worth Starting Early
September 12, 2026
Mental health doesn’t begin at adulthood. For babies and young children, it can show up in the everyday moments caregivers know well—but don’t always know how to interpret. Big emotions, disrupted sleep, separation difficulties and persistent w ...
+ Read MoreJudges Corner with Alexandra-Julie Poirier
September 4, 2026
"The most compelling work balances intent with craft." Alexandra-Julia Poirier. As a judge for the 2026 Applied Arts Photography & Illustration Awards, Alexandra-Julie Poirier, Associate Creative Director at TBWA Canada, brought her creati ...
+ Read MoreFeatured Tim Zeltner
September 3, 2026
Lookout Point, Tim Zeltner, for client Porter's Inflight Magazine, re:porter. With a style that is richly textured, deeply personal and unmistakably his own, illustrator Tim Zeltner represented by i2i Art Inc. has built an award-winning illustrati ...
+ Read MoreIntroducing the 2026 Advertising Awards Winners
August 27, 2026
Some Work Interrupts. Some work remains. ⭐ denotes a multiple award winner 00001Angry Butterfly⭐Bensimon Byrne⭐Berlin⭐Broken Heart Love Affair⭐CirconflexCossetteCourage⭐Dentsu Creative Canada⭐Edelman Canada⭐Leo Burnett Canada⭐LG2 ...
+ Read MoreCurrent Issue
Discover the year's best creative work in the Summer issue of Applied Arts. Featuring the winners of the Photography, Illustration, and Design Awards, this collector-worthy edition delivers more than 150 pages of award-winning inspiration from today's top creative talent. The issue also features Brace for Impact, a compelling look at how artists and designers are using their work to challenge convention, provoke dialogue, and shape culture. Subscribe or order your copy today.
Click here for more information about the issue or for a list of our stockists.