Toronto Media Artists Creation Grant 2026: Up to C$15,000 for VR, Games and New Media
Toronto Arts Council's Media Artists Program: Creation is approaching its Thursday, October 15, 2026 deadline. The programme offers up to CAD $15,000 for Toronto-based professional artists developing or completing independent media artworks. Its definition of media arts explicitly includes film, video, audio, digital practices, electronic and video games, virtual reality, augmented reality, and installations or performances that use technology for artistic expression. This makes the call particularly relevant to creators whose work sits between visual art, moving image, interactive systems and experimental media. It is a production grant, not a competition offering prize money to anyone who submits a digital image.
Toronto residency and professional practice
Eligible applicants must have lived in the City of Toronto for at least one year before the application deadline. A studio address or postal box does not qualify as proof of local residency. Applicants must also be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, people with a pending Canadian permanent-residency application, or protected persons under the council's rules. Temporary absence from Toronto may be considered, but only with the written explanation and special permission described in the official guidelines. The city-residency and immigration-status requirements mean this is a restricted local grant, not an international open call for any media artist worldwide.
The applicant needs to be a professional media artist with training or equivalent experience, peer recognition, public presentation or production history, and an ongoing independent artistic practice. At least one media artwork must already have been created. The Toronto Arts Council acknowledges that professional paths differ and invites artists who have faced barriers to mainstream presentation opportunities to discuss the evidence of their practice with its programme manager. Work carried out solely as part of a degree programme is not an eligible project.
Eligible digital, interactive and moving-image work
The fund may cover the creation or completion of original independent film, video, audio, virtual or augmented reality, digital and interactive artworks, and experimental electronic games. New media includes artistic installations, performances or multimedia projects that integrate computational or communications technologies. Artists should explain the artistic intent, audience or viewing conditions, the technology being used and what remains to be produced. Using a commercial game engine does not disqualify an independent artistic game, but a commercial video-game business plan with no independent artistic framework is not automatically eligible under a media-arts grant.
Grant ceiling and permitted production costs
A proposal can request up to CAD $15,000, subject to assessment. Funding is designed for direct costs of production or post-production, including relevant materials and the artist's production or living support within the programme's rules. A supplementary TAC Accessibility Grant of up to CAD $5,000 may be available separately to eligible supported projects involving Deaf artists or artists with disabilities. That additional programme is subject to its own conditions and should not be added automatically to every media grant application.
Important exclusions before applying
Toronto Arts Council does not fund a work that has already been completed before award announcements, or projects with total budgets over CAD $350,000. Capital purchases such as tools or equipment costing more than CAD $750 are excluded. Other exclusions include a request exclusively for travel or exhibition, promotion and marketing, commissioned instructional or promotional media, music videos, commercial or educational television pilots, and standalone scriptwriting. A VR showcase seeking only a venue rental without new artistic production should not assume it fits this creation stream.
Applicants must retain full copyright as well as creative and financial control of the project. Professional collaborations are possible, but all co-applicants must independently satisfy the eligibility rules; the designated principal applicant receives the grant. For a film or video project, only the director can be the eligible applicant, not its producer or a producer co-applicant. Artists applying to the 2026 TAC Visual Artists programme cannot also apply for the 2026 Media Artists programme. The council generally limits an individual to one grant in the Discipline category each calendar year.
Application process and October 15 deadline
Applications go through TAC Grants Online, where a new applicant must register before filling in the proposal and uploading samples and supporting materials. Submission closes on October 15, 2026, so applicants should prepare a concise concept, production or post-production schedule, itemised budget, proof of Toronto residence, details of their existing media-art practice and appropriately formatted work samples without relying on a last-minute account registration. Results are normally issued approximately three months after the application deadline. The grant is competitive, and meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee an award.
Official programme and portal
This article provides a summary. To avoid misunderstandings, please be sure to check the official page for full details. Information verified on 12 October 2026.
Our competition
Aion Laboratory independently organises the Aion Digital Art Prize for qualifying interactive and digital artworks. Some works that have already been exhibited or received another award can be eligible under its own rules. The competition is separate from the Toronto Arts Council and this media artist creation grant.