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You Answered the Call.
Now Take the Stage.
In 2025, CANU’s Rising Urbanists program invited bold thinkers aged 35 and under to challenge the status quo and propose game-changing ideas for the future of our communities. The response showed us just how much talent and ambition is rising across the country.
The CANU Vanguard is the next chapter. Where Rising Urbanists recognized great ideas, the Vanguard supports the people behind them: a national platform, a senior introduction, and a lasting cohort. If you applied to Rising Urbanists, or wish you had, this is for you.
What is the Vanguard?
The CANU Vanguard is a national program for emerging urban professionals in the first decade of their careers. Each year, four to five practitioners are selected to bring their ideas to the CANU Forum, connect with senior urbanists, and join a growing network of peers from coast to coast.
It grows directly out of Rising Urbanists, giving that spotlight permanence: a pathway that carries the next generation from a bold idea all the way into the leadership of the Council.
What Vanguard Members Receive
A National Platform
Present your idea at the CANU Forum in Ottawa before Canada’s leading urban designers, planners, architects, and policy thinkers. This is a dedicated forum session, not a side event.
A Senior Urbanist Introduction
Every Vanguard member is guaranteed a one-on-one introduction with a senior Canadian urbanist, matched to their work and interests. Where that conversation leads is entirely up to the two of you.
Travel Fully Covered
Return travel to Ottawa, hotel accommodation, and full forum registration are covered by our founding sponsor. Financial access is not a barrier to participating in the Vanguard.
A National Peer Network
Join the founding cohort of an enduring national network. Vanguard members meet virtually across the year and are invited to remain connected as each new cohort joins.
Who Can Apply
ELIGIBILITY
The CANU Vanguard is open to emerging practitioners in the first ten years of their careers. As with Rising Urbanists, we are deliberately broad about discipline and background: the most generative ideas in Canadian urbanism are coming from people who don’t always fit a single professional category.
You might be a planner, architect, landscape architect, engineer, community developer, researcher, or policy analyst. What matters is that you have an idea worth arguing over and a point of view you can defend.
WE ESPECIALLY ENCOURAGE APPLICATIONS FROM
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Black, Indigenous, and racialized practitioners
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Practitioners working outside Toronto and Vancouver, including smaller cities, suburbs, and northern communities
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Francophone practitioners and bilingual applicants
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Career changers who bring adjacent disciplines to urban practice
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Practitioners whose work centres equity, access, and community-led design
How to Apply
Step 1 · Your Idea
A 400 to 600 word summary of the idea you would present at the forum. Write for a practitioner audience: clear, direct, and specific. You do not need a literature review or a project budget. You need a point of view.
Step 2 · Your Background
A short biography of 200 words maximum, describing who you are, where you work, and why this idea matters to you. We are not looking for a CV. We want to understand how your experience shapes your perspective.
Step 3 · Supporting Material (Optional)
Up to two pages of images, drawings, maps, or diagrams that support your idea. This is entirely optional and will not disadvantage applicants who choose not to submit it.
Key Dates
Event | Dates |
|---|---|
Applications Open | July 3, 2026 |
Application Deadline | August 7, 2026 |
Shortlist Notified | August 21, 2026 |
Final Selection Announced | September 11, 2026 |
Presenter Briefing (Virtual) | October 8, 2026 |
CANU Forum, Ottawa | October 22–24, 2026 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I applied to Rising Urbanists last year. Should I apply again?
A: Yes, please do. The Vanguard is a new program with a different structure: a forum presentation, a senior introduction, and a year-round cohort. Past Rising Urbanists applicants are warmly encouraged to apply.
Q: Do I need to be a CANU member to apply?
A: No. CANU membership is not required to apply to the Vanguard. We hope that participating will lead many Vanguard members to become members, but it is not a prerequisite.
Q: What does ‘first ten years of practice’ mean?
A: We define this broadly. It refers to ten years since you began working professionally in a field related to urbanism, city-building, or the built environment. Career changers are also welcome.
Q: Do I need a completed project to apply?
A: No. Your idea can be something you have done, something you are working on, or something you believe should exist but does not yet. What matters is a clear point of view you can articulate.
Q: Can I apply in French?
A: Yes. Applications are welcome in French or English. The selection panel includes French-speaking practitioners.
Q: What if I cannot afford to travel even with the award?
A: The award covers return travel from anywhere in Canada, hotel accommodation, and forum registration. If you have concerns about other costs, please contact us before the deadline and we will do our best to assist.
Rising Urbanists found their voices.
The Vanguard is where they belong.
Apply by August 7, 2026 at info@canu.ca