Awards

Nominees must: 

• • be a Kingston resident, organization, or business 
  • have demonstrated positive accessibility contributions in the past three years.
  • not have accessibility-related roles in their paid work or education, unless they demonstrate an exceptional accomplishment.

Nominators must: 

• • Explain the nominee’s achievements in one or more of the following categories: 
    • • Built environment: designing, modifying, or renovating buildings, interiors, or outdoor spaces to remove barriers and improve access for people with disabilities. 
      • Customer service: removing barriers that prevent customers with disabilities from accessing the services they need.
      • Design of public spaces: making communal spaces such as trails, beaches, rest stops, outdoor play spaces, accessible parking or outdoor paths of travel more accessible.  
      • Education: removing barriers to student participation in learning at all levels from kindergarten to post-secondary and adult education. 
      • Employment: employers or coworkers making their workplaces and practices accessible to potential or current workers with disabilities. 
      • Health Care: making the health care system more accessible to patients with disabilities and their support people. 
      • Information and Communication: creating, providing, and receiving information and communications that people with disabilities can access. 
      • Transportation: making the features and equipment on transportation services, including routes and vehicles, accessible to passengers with disabilities. 
  • Can include support letters, testimonials, images, media links, or any other materials to support their nomination.

A Selection Committee, consisting of up to four Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee members, chooses the award recipients. Nomination reviews are confidential, and decisions are final. 

The Selection Committee may accept incomplete and / or late nominations at their discretion. 

2025

• Community Member: Shannon Thompson, Sydney Gillam
• Community Organization: Science Rendezvous Kingston, St. Martha's Catholic School
• Business: V2 Innovations

2024 

• Community Member: Rachel Doornekamp
• Community Organization: Inclusive Play Project volunteers
• Business: Purely Mobile Hygiene, 4Cats Arts Studio

2023 

• Community Member: Eva Carlin, Amber Potter 
• Community Organization: Bloom Skills Centre, Extend-A-Family Kingston 

2022 

• Community Member: Bailey Daniels, Claire Davies, Leah Riddell 
• Community Organization: Polson Park Public School 

2021 

• Business: YGK Thrift 
• Community Member: Yessica Rivera Belsham 
• Community Organization: Lionhearts Inc. 

1. First Capital Distinguished Citizen: Open to all ages. This is the highest civic honour in Kingston. It recognizes a person who has spent their life doing volunteer work and who has made a significant impact on our community.   
2. Honourable Achievement: Open to all ages. This award celebrates volunteers who have made a difference in the community through their volunteer work. 
3. Civic Award for Youth Volunteerism: Open to ages 24 and under. This award recognizes youth who have demonstrated values of community service and inspired others through their volunteerism. 

First Capital Distinguished Citizen

• Marion Westenberg

Honourable Achievement

• Rumit Sohal
• Alicia Gordon
• Shawn Quigley 

Youth Volunteerism

• Gabriel Bergeron
• Zein Al Abideen Hammad
• Lucas Perri 

The number and type of awards are at the discretion of the jury, and may include: 

1. Award of Excellence: given to projects that demonstrate all the evaluation criteria and reflect our design goals 
2. Award of Merit: given to projects that demonstrate quality in one or more of the evaluation criteria and reflect our design goals. 
3. People's Choice Award: public voting will take place in the early fall.

The competition is open to everyone - architects, designers, planners, landscape architects, engineers, developers, contractors, consultants, property owners, and the general public.

All types of development are eligible, including: 

• • Residential developments 
  • Commercial developments 
  • Industrial developments 
  • Institutional developments 
  • Mixed-use developments 
  • Heritage conservation projects 
  • Recreational facilities 
  • Parks, landscaping, and open spaces 
  • Public spaces 
  • Infrastructure 
  • Streetscape improvements 

The project must: 

• • be located within the municipal boundaries of the City of Kingston. 
  • have been completed between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025.
  • be a physical, built element or space that is visible and/or accessible to the public. 
  • be exceptional, high-quality, and individual designs (e.g., standardized corporate templates will not be accepted). 
  • not have been nominated previously for a Livable City Design Award unless significant changes or modifications to the project have taken place. 

The nomination stage to submit a project for consideration is open until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

 After the nomination period has closed, we will confirm eligibility and select the final nominees. 

Owners and designers of eligible projects will need to acknowledge acceptance of their nomination in writing and provide the following additional information. Detailed instructions will be provided to the final nominees upon notification.

• Description of the project, including background, design merits, and how the design helps the community around it.
• Exterior photographs of the project, including exterior before and after photos (if applicable), as well as photos of the construction process highlighting the project description (if available or applicable). Interior photos are only necessary if they help elaborate on the exterior elements.
• Copies of site plans, floor plans, and elevations of the project (if applicable).
• Written authorization acknowledging that the information we collect becomes part of city records and will not be returned, and that we can use all information and photos to promote the program. 

Submit all information electronically and together using a USB drive, an emailed cloud-storage link, a CD, or a DVD. Written information must in a Word document and all photographs must be a high quality .jpeg format.

The Livable City Design Awards are organized by the City. The jury consists of independent design experts who are not affiliated with the City.

Judging for nominated projects will occur in late summer 2026, followed by an awards ceremony in the fall. Nominees will be invited to the ceremony, where the winners will be announced. The winners will be presented with plaques and recognized through various local media outlets.

The jury will assess nominations using the following criteria: 

• Significance - City-wide scale: How does the project contribute to our design objectives for the city's appearance, visual identity, views, skyline, and streetscapes? 
• Significance - Community-wide scale: How does the project contribute to the quality of the community's environment, respecting local surroundings, making the place feel special and safe, or highlighting a unique history? 
• Innovation: Creativity in meeting project requirements and site constraints, affordability, incorporation of technology and trendsetting.  
• Context: How well does the design fit with other buildings and the area's plans? 
• Execution: The quality of construction materials and the interpretation of the design into reality. 
• Sustainable Design: Demonstrates an integrated approach to design that supports environmental and sustainable site and building practices. 
• Accessibility: Displays a high standard of Universal Design principles as set out in the City of Kingston Official Plan and our Residential Design Guidelines. 

 Additional criteria for heritage projects: 

• Heritage: How does the project display the highest standards of conservation practice as defined in the Official Plan, "Conservation Protocol"? 

Awards of Excellence - 2023 winners

Awarded to superior projects, the jury felt best exemplified all or most of the Livable City Design Award criteria.

• 27 Wright Crescent (apartment building) - Kingston & Frontenac Housing Corporation; designer Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.
• Bishop House and Central Branch, 130 Johnson Street - Kingston Frontenac Public Library and City of Kingston; designers Read Jones Christofferson Ltd. and HDR, Inc.; and heritage consultants Bray Heritage, Letourneau Consulting Inc. and Jennifer McKendry
• Breakwater Park, 200 King Street West - Owner City of Kingston; designers Claude Cormier et Associés.
• Broom Factory, 305 Rideau Street - Owner and designer RAW Design Inc.
• Endaayaan-Tkanónsote, 156 Albert Street - Queen's University; designers Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd. and Diamond Schmitt Architects; and heritage consultant André Scheinman.
• Napier Park, 671 Brock Street - City of Kingston; designer F.D. Fountain Landscape Architecture
• Rideau Heights Community Centre and Shannon Park, 85 and 110 MacCauley Street - Kingston Frontenac Public Library, Limestone District School Board and City of Kingston; designers NORR Limited Architects and Engineers and NAK Design Strategies.

Awards of Merit - 2023 winners

Awarded to projects that met many of the criteria for the Livable City Design Awards.

• 77-79 Gore Street (private residences) - Owner Patricia MacKay; designer Mark Peabody Custom Builder.
• 661 King Street West / 54 Kennedy Street (private residence) - Owner James Compton Simmons; designer Hughes Downey Architects.
• 84-90 Rose Abbey Drive (private residences) - Owner Habitat for Humanity Kingston Limestone Region; designer Michael Preston Design.
• Coast Guard Search & Rescue, 93 Yonge Street - Owners Canadian Coast Guard and Government of Canada; designer DIALOG.
• Frontenac Club, 225 King Street East - Owner Frontenac Club Inc.; designer Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.
• Kingston East Community Centre, 779 Highway 15 - Owner City of Kingston; designer +VG Architects.
• Kingston Secondary School, 145 Kirkpatrick Avenue - Owner Limestone District School Board; designer ZAS Architects Inc.
• Local 249 Carpenter's Union, 481 Discovery Avenue - Owner United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners Union Local 249; designer Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.
• Mitchell Hall, 69 Union Street - Owner Queen's University; designers CS&P Architects Inc. and Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc. 
• Portsmouth Olympic Harbour to Lake Ontario Park Waterfront Pathway, Yonge Street - Owner City of Kingston; designer Wentworth Landscapes.
• Sanctuary Coworking and The Smith Hotel, 221 Queen Street - Owner BPE Development; designer Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.
• Scotiabank, 101 Princess Street - Owners Scotiabank and Springer Group of Companies; designer Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.
• Screening Room, 120 Princess Street - Owners Springer Group of Companies and Wendy Huot; and designer Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.
• Unity Point and Unity Place, 333 University Avenue and 495 Princess Street - Owner Podium; designer Teeple Architects.
• Victoria Park, 487 Brock Street - Owner City of Kingston; designer Janet Rosenberg­­ & Studio Inc.
• Waaban Crossing - Owner City of Kingston; designers Hatch, SYSTRA International Bridge Technologies, and BEAM Architects.
• Water Snake, Ontario Street - Owner City of Kingston; designer RAW Design Inc. and Nidus3D.
• Wilson Building, 168 Wellington Street - Owner CaraCo Development Corporation; designer Colbourne & Kembel Architects Inc. 

People's Choice Award - 2023 winner

Awarded to the project that received the most votes from the public during a voting period earlier this fall.

• Frontenac Club, 225 King Street East - Owner Frontenac Club Inc.; designer Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.

Kingston faces a series of complex challenges as we work toward our vision of becoming a smart, livable, leading city. To address these challenges we are seeking solutions from student innovators.

In partnership with Queen's University, St. Lawrence College and the Royal Military College of Canada, we host this collaborative problem-solving platform and experiential learning opportunity. 

This year, the competition features a new prize structure, offering two separate prizes that will be awarded to different teams. Judges will select the winners based on which teams' ideas would benefit the most from each prize. 

Dunin-Deshpande Innovation Centre Prize

The team winning the Dunin-Deshpande Innovation Centre prize will be admitted to the Queen’s Founders and Innovators Initiative (QFII) program. This transformative, part-time program is designed for aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs. Winners will enter the program in May and learn how to take their early-stage startup to the next level.

The QFII program offers award-winning and internationally recognized entrepreneurship training and mentorship from industry professionals and entrepreneurs. It also provides the opportunity to unlock up to $4,000 in seed funding and compete in their pitch competition, with a prize pool of up to $30,000. 

Public Sector Innovation Prize

Winners of the Public Sector Innovation prize will receive a $10,000 cash prize to advance their ideas. They will also be admitted to the Summer Company Program, with access to resources, mentorship, and hands-on business mentoring from local business leaders.

The 2025 Mayor’s Innovation Challenge was a success, with two student-led teams emerging as winners and showcasing impressive, forward-thinking solutions to benefit our community. After deliberation, the panel announced the following winning projects: 

Handfluence

An AI tool that enhances communication for the Deaf or hard of hearing by providing real-time ASL-to-English translation, promoting accessibility and inclusion.

Lawtonica

An AI-powered chatbot that simplifies navigating local bylaws, making legal information more accessible and easier to understand for Kingston residents.

Read the full news release for details.