Hockey Canada is looking for Indigenous artists!

To acknowledge and celebrate Hockey Canada events hosted on Indigenous land, and to continue to build on our relationship with Indigenous communities throughout Canada, which fosters a spirit of unity, respect and reconciliation, we are seeking Indigenous artists from coast to coast to coast to support upcoming projects.

Who Can Apply

General Call for Artists

Indigenous artists from all over Canada, working within all forms of art and media, are invited to apply!

Note: There is no deadline for submission of interest in future projects.

2025 World Juniors Call for Artists

Our hope is to showcase Indigenous artists from the Capital Region, including urban Indigenous artists and artists from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Algonquins of Pikwakanagan and Mohawks of Akwesasne communities.

All are welcome to apply, and preference may be given to artists from the communities listed above.

If a group of artists would like to apply for a project (as opposed to an individual artist), please include that detail within the project description when submitting your form.

Deadline to submit your expression of interest: June 30, 2024

Scope of Work

Once chosen, the selected artists will be formally commissioned with delivering their respective artwork in line with project deadlines, and to provide additional content (behind-the-scenes footage, availability for interviews, etc.) to support the storytelling of the project.

Artists selected for World Juniors projects will be entitled to financial compensation ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, with the final amount based on the project they are selected to complete. Artists selected for other Hockey Canada events will also be compensated, based on the scope of the project and the nature of the event.

In addition, selected artists may receive other benefits, including but not limited to tickets, event merchandise, an invitation to present their design on-site at events, and promotional opportunities through their work being featured on Hockey Canada and/or event digital and social media channels, and on-site at events. Media requests will also be coordinated for artists, to amplify and share their great work beyond the host city

There are two scopes of work available to interested artists:

General Call for Artists

In direct collaboration with Indigenous artists, Hockey Canada plans to develop event and art initiatives that celebrate and represent Indigenous artistry, creating closer connections with the communities and regions in which we host, and showcasing the dynamic community-building power of hockey.

Interested artists will become part of a database of artists, regardless of their medium, whether they be painters, bead artisans, woodworkers, etc., and regardless of their location. Based on the sites of future events across the country, artists with relevant skill sets and geographical proximity will be selected to participate in various art projects.

Proposed Projects

• Hockey Canada Indigenous logo: The first project for this General Call for Artists will specifically seek out an artist or artists who will collaborate with Hockey Canada designers to create the first Indigenous logo for Hockey Canada.
• Projects related to gifting or signage at events as early as Fall 2024.

2025 IIHF World Junior Championship Call for Artists

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place in Ottawa, Ontario, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2025.

Ottawa is a city that stands on the unceded ancestral lands of the Anishinabeg Algonquin. The Anishinabe Algonquin people have been longstanding stewards of this territory, nurturing the land with their rich culture. Ottawa acknowledges and honours the contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, past and present, and embraces a commitment to understanding and celebrating the diverse heritage and contributions of Indigenous peoples.

In an effort to celebrate the Indigenous communities that make up our host city, and the incredible art found within, the World Juniors is once again looking to integrate Indigenous art into key event components.

Proposed Projects

The following projects are being presented as options to allow applicants to showcase different ideas and skills. Hockey Canada reserves the right to select which project any successful artist is asked to work on after they have been selected. Projects can include, but are not limited to:

• Player of the Game (POG) Gifting - At the conclusion of each of the 29 competition games, a Player of the Game award is given to the best player on each team. At previous tournaments, Indigenous artists have created stunning, one-of-a-kind painted Player of the Game sticks, and we invite interested artists to present their ideas for POG gifting, either building on the tradition of the painted stick or proposing a new way to celebrate the players.
• World Juniors Merchandise Design - As part of the merchandise offering at the World Juniors, we are inviting artists to submit a design that reimagines Hockey Canada’s current jersey design with an Indigenous influence. Artists may submit a proposed design that integrates an Indigenous design within the red leaf component of the jersey shown below.
• Bag Beading – Over 300 World Juniors volunteers will be gifted a bag to thank them for their invaluable time, and we are seeking individual or teams of beaders to create custom beadwork on the selected bag to create a truly special gift.
• Murals – As a legacy of the event, Hockey Canada is seeking muralists to create large works of art that celebrate the event and Indigenous culture, which will be in place for all to enjoy long after the World Juniors concludes.

How to apply

All submissions must be sent via this Call for Indigenous Artists form.

All submissions will be kept confidential and not shared beyond the selection committee without consent of the artist. The selection of artists will be made by representatives from Hockey Canada, the relevant host organizing committee(s), locally relevant city/municipality/tourism representatives, and local Indigenous leadership.

The artist retains all intellectual property rights to any submitted designs throughout the proposal stage. Selected artists will enter into a formal agreement with Hockey Canada, which will cover when and how Hockey Canada may make use of the selected artist’s designs.