Canadian Innovation Contests
CIAC — Canadian Innovation Visual Art Contest
2026 Theme — The Art of Understanding. Submission window: Mar 1–30, 2026.
What is CIAC?
A visual-art contest for grades 3–8.
CIAC, the Visual Art Contest, is designed to provide students with an opportunity to engage in imaginative and innovative thought and action and to develop the ability to communicate and represent their thoughts, feelings, and ideas creatively.
2026 contest theme
The Art of Understanding.
Participants are invited to create visual art pieces that depict acts of kindness, understanding, or shared human experiences. The artwork should convey the essence of empathy, illustrating how compassionate actions and connections can bridge divides and foster a more inclusive society. This contest encourages artists to use their creativity to promote a deeper appreciation for diverse perspectives through visual storytelling.
Curriculum connection
Aligned with the arts curriculum.
Education in the arts is essential to students' intellectual, social, physical and emotional growth. It enables them to create ideas and images that reflect, communicate, and change their views of the world.
The expectations in this contest align well with the arts curriculum and its expectations around the four central ideas of developing creativity, communicating, understanding culture and making connections.
This contest focuses on traditional arts of drawing, painting and sketching. Students will be generally evaluated on elements of line, shape and form, space, color, texture and value as well as various principles of art. The evaluation rubric provides further details on how work is evaluated and graded.
Eligibility & format
Mar 1–30, 2026.
Open to students in grades 3–8 (younger students are welcome to join — we will not hesitate to award exceptional talent).
Three contest levels: Elementary (Grades 3 & 4), Junior (Grades 5 & 6), Middle (Grades 7 & 8).
Format: online submission. Students submit a high-quality PDF of their digital artwork or a photo of their physical drawing/painting.
Originality: we look for original ideas. We will conduct checks for plagiarism. Trust yourself and be authentic. We want to see the world through your eyes.
Awards
Gold, Silver, Bronze, Honors per level.
Gold (top 1%), Silver (top 2–3%), Bronze (top 4–6%), Honors (top 7–10%) per contest level — customized medal & e-certificate.
Certificate of participation: given to all participants.
Note: CKSTEM does not pay for international shipping. Awards will be sent to Canadian students, including schools and all other paid students. Students will also have an opportunity to join us at an award ceremony in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Design inspiration
A Nineteenth-Century Vision of the Year 2000.
In 1899, a group of French illustrators imagined what life might look like in the year 2000. Their artwork depicted scenes such as classrooms where students learn from machines, people gliding through cities on rollers, remote communication across vast distances, video telephones, and even aerial battles. Over a century later, many of these imaginative visions have become reality.
Let their creativity inspire yours. CIAC invites you to look at the world around you and imagine what's next — then bring that vision to life through art.
Registration
Schools and individuals.
School registration: minimum 5 students per school. Teachers submit student artwork on behalf of their class. Schools receive a contest package with full instructions.
Individual registration: contact info@ckstem.org for availability. Note: CIAC may be available through schools only in some years.
Ready to register?
Register on the Canadian Innovation Contests hub. Schools can register multiple students; individuals can register directly.