You’re invited to join the 2025 Winter Stations Photo Contest! Head down to Woodbine Beach starting February 17-March 30, 2025, to participate!
Winter Stations 2025 Photo Contest
February 17, 2025 – March 30, 2025
Woodbine Beach, East Toronto
FREE to Participate
Winter Stations 2025 will officially be unveiled on Monday February 17th, 2025, down on Woodbine Beach. This year marks the 11th year of the international Winter Stations design competition held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Every winter, participants are tasked with designing temporary winter art installations which incorporate existing lifeguard stations down Kew and Woodbine beaches. While Toronto beaches are not typically as well visited in the colder seasons, Winter Stations has continually captured the imagination of the city, making our east end winter beach a hot-spot destination to visit!
This year’s exhibition will showcase four winning designs and two student designs from Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Waterloo (scroll down to learn more about the 6 stations)! East End Arts has been a proud community supporter of these public art installations, and we are inviting you to go view them in person and participate in our collaborative photo contest when you do!
ABOUT PHOTO CONTEST
Presented by Winter Stations (and the team at RAW), East End Arts, and The Beach BIA, the Winter Stations 2025 Photo Contest invites community members to take a photo or photos with this year’s Winter Stations installations and post them on Instagram with the hashtag, #WinterStations2025!
For participating in the contest, TWO lucky participants will receive some very cool prizes:
- First place will receive a Winter Stations tote bag, a Winter Stations hat, and a $60 gift card to local Beach BIA restaurant.
- Second place will receive a Winter Stations tote bag OR hat, and a $60 gift card to a local Beach BIA restaurant!
To qualify as a winner of our contest, you must be following @winter.stations, @eastendartsto, and @makewaves.to on Instagram! The winner will be chosen by mid-April and announced on social media! We hope to see you on the Beach this winter!
Winter Stations 2025 Theme: DAWN
Dawn marks the beginning of a new era for Winter Stations as it steps into its 11th year, symbolizing a fresh chapter in its creative journey. Just as the first light of morning breaks through the darkness, the exhibition will explore the moments of profound change that redefine and shape our existence, highlighting the delicate process of shedding old layers to emerge as something new. Dawn embraces the evolving self and the endless possibilities of change and transition, whether it be personal, natural, or spiritual, capturing the raw beauty of growth and renewal.
Dawn represents the shift from night to day, and this year, designers are invited to explore how Winter Stations can evolve, and to consider the future of the exhibition and its relationship with the public and the environment. Through this lens, Dawn challenges designers to explore how Winter Stations can adapt, grow, and metamorphose in the coming years, shaping the urban landscape in imaginative and innovative ways.
The 2025 Installations
Parade, Jesse Beus (USA)
Parade is a celebration of those who live in the warm dawn of self-acceptance. It is comprised of six characters each with their own unique colour, shape, purpose, and identity. Together this eclectic cast of follies proudly march together in an unstoppable procession and invite all to join them!
Learn more HERE.
Watch, Trae Horne (USA)
As the morning sun crests above Lake Ontario’s horizon, a new day dawns on the crisp morning, and a wood canvas basks in the light. Watch reflects on the specific point in time that it and the visitors are within. The large, canted facade acts as a leaning respite for watchers of the sunrise and lake.
Learn more HERE.
Slice of Sun, Cláudia Franco, Mariam Daudali and Thomas Byrom (Portugal)
When you live in a city, dawn is mainly brought to you by glimpses of orange light scattered from your neighbour’s windows switching from one to the other. One wonders how many dreams can fit into the blinking box of orange curtains. We invite you to enter into our slice of sun and feel embraced by dawn light at any time of the day.
Learn more HERE.
Ascolto, Ines Dessaint & Tonin Letondu (France), University of Napoli
In Ascolto, the sound experience is commemorated. This acoustic shelter welcomes the user in a contemplation space, not only visually but also audibly. Supported adjacent to the lifeguard tower on one side and buried in the sand on the other, the object creates a sound capsule.
Learn more HERE.
Peak, University of Waterloo – Department of ArchitectureEmerging from the soft and organic beachscape are angular peaks that frame perspectives and form pathways. Consisting of repeating structures of select shapes and sizes, Peak is an interactive installation that visually contrasts the existing site and offers refuge from the cold winter environment.
Learn more HERE.
Solair, Toronto Metropolitan University – Department of Architectural Science
Solair is a sculptural installation that captures the ephemeral beauty of dawn through the interplay of light, wind, and reflection. Inspired by the delicate transition from night to day, Solair amplifies the forces of nature – sunlight and air – transforming them into a dynamic, ever-changing visual and sensory experience.
Learn more HERE.
This year’s competition is made possible by the generous sponsorship of RAW Design, Northcrest Developments, Resident Properties, Crombie REIT & Sobeys, along with MicroPro Sienna, BEHR paints and Sali Tabacchi! To learn more about the Winter Stations Installation and Competition, visit the Winter Stations Website.