Call for Submissions: Nuit Blanche London 2026

Presented by the London Society of Architects

Alex MacLean, Concrete Canopy. Photo: Daria Olifirenko

THIS IS NOT A LANDMARK

Submission Deadline: May 29, 2026, 11:59pm ET

Nuit Blanche London is a free, all-night public art festival, organized by volunteers and presented in partnership with the London Society of Architects (LSA) and the City of London, with support from the local arts community.

The festival will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

Building on last year’s momentum, Nuit Blanche London 2026 will activate the city as a living, breathing site of artistic exploration. Once again, Dundas Street becomes a canvas, inviting artists, audiences, and communities to experience the urban landscape through large-scale, temporary installations and interventions in new and unexpected ways.

London is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, and is home to many diverse Indigenous peoples.

The London Society of Architects (LSA) is a non-profit, volunteer-led local branch of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). The LSA brings together licensed architects, intern architects, students, other design professionals, and the public, providing a platform for dialogue, professional support, continuing education and community outreach. The organization also produces public programming, including lectures, panels, tours, and city-wide cultural events such as Nuit Blanche London.

Project Requirements

This call is open to individuals and groups working in any medium suitable for a large-scale, temporary public installation. Final placement along Dundas Street will be coordinated with selected artists.

Theme

THIS IS NOT A LANDMARK invites participants to question how public space is defined and used. It challenges the idea that meaning in the city is located only in monuments or officially designated sites and spaces. Instead, the theme invites artists to re-examine public space. It turns attention to the overlooked, temporary and every day. It is a response to public space as a site of inquiry – where social histories, informal uses and collective experiences coexist alongside official narratives.

Artists are encouraged to propose works that challenge fixed meanings of place, disrupt expectations and reimagine Dundas Street not as a destination, but as something continually redefined.

This theme welcomes critical, playful and poetic approaches that invite the public to see our city differently. Works may range in scale, Proposed works may vary in scale, with a preference for larger-scale pieces designed for public interaction, and may consider time, movement and participation.

We welcome bold, experimental and inclusive proposals across disciplines. Artists are encouraged to explore contemporary art, performance, sound, light and participatory practices that transform the city overnight and engage the public in meaningful – and unexpected – ways.

Site Specific Opportunities

We are pleased to partner with local galleries to offer site-specific opportunities that may align with your proposal.

• Museum London is pleased to offer activation of its front lawn. Please note that any elements embedded in the ground must not exceed a depth of 6 inches. Artists are responsible for overseeing the installation and removal of their work, as well as ensuring it is properly supervised throughout the duration of the event.
• Seven Socials is pleased to offer interior gallery space as an alternative venue for works not suitable for outdoor installation

Eligibility

This call is open to all artists, individuals and groups, working in any medium suitable for a large-scale, temporary public installation. We welcome applications from artists of all backgrounds and experience levels, from emerging to established practitioners.

Proposals must:

• Respond to the theme
• Be original work
• Be temporary and non-permanent
• Work within an outdoor, public, urban context
• Be self-produced, self-funded works, delivered in partnership with Nuit Blanche London
• Be installed for the entire duration of the event
• Take place on Dundas Street in London ON (between Wellington St and Ridout St N)
• Be free of charge to the public during the event
• Be accessible, enabling audiences of different abilities and ages to engage
• Comply with safety standards, City by-laws, and relevant regulations

Sweet Labour Art Collective, wakh^tahslu:nihe – dressing up the garden. Photo: Daria Olifirenko

Compensation

Selected proposals will receive a $3,000 stipend to support artist fees and materials, made possible by the Ontario Association of Architects, partner organizations and private donations.

Selection Process

Participants will be selected by a volunteer jury, including representatives from the London Society of Architects and local community organizations.

Successful applicants will be notified by email by the end of June 2026. Projects may be conditionally accepted pending feedback.

Submission Requirements

Artists must submit a completed online Application via the online submission form.

Supporting Materials:Please upload supporting materials that help convey your project vision. This may include examples of past exhibitions, activations, presentations, or installations. For new work, include mock-ups, sketches, or tests. Submissions may also include images, portfolios, and professional CVs.

How to Submit

Please review the full details and submit your Application via the online submission form.

Submission Deadline: May 29, 2026, 11:59pm ET

For additional information or questions, please contact:
London Society of Architects
nuitblanche@londonsocietyofarchitects.ca

@nuitblanchelondon
@londonsocietyofarchitects

Image Descriptions:
1. A photograph of two people observing a building facade illuminated with projections.
2. A photograph of an individual dancing in front of film projection.