All advertising and marketing professionals, existing and aspiring, BIPOC and Ally, who are based in Toronto or able to be in Toronto in person at the event, are welcome to apply. 

Applications are now closed.

15 participants will be chosen by POCAM and APG.

Communications campaigns targeted at Canadians needs to be more reflective of Canadians. 

This hackathon is jointly organized by APG and POCAM. 

Participants will work in teams to develop a response to the challenge: Who are Canadians today and how can we more authentically connect with them?

Each participant will be expected to attend a virtual briefing session and then present their work on Mar 4th, from 5-8pm to the judges and a ticketed audience at George Brown.

DEI is obviously a massive topic. In order to make some practical headway, this session will focus on addressing this challenge (through a BIPOC lense): Who are Canadians today and how can we more authentically connect with them? 

This is not to say that other groups and equally important issues (i.e. the LGBTQ+ community, ageism, physical abilities, etc) will not be addressed at later stages.

The jury are senior leaders working in the industry that represent a number of different agencies and disciplines. Winners will be awarded based on the team that has demonstrated the most progress in advancing the conversation around DEI.

Each team had access to one mentor that will provide guidance and build on the teams' early thinking before the presentation.

All participants will be compensated for their time by having access to industry leaders in creative, strategy, media and research.

The winning team (or the team that has demonstrated the most progress in advancing the conversation around DEI through their presentation) was also eligible to receive a prize.

Contest Rules and Regulations 

1. No purchase necessary
2. As organizers and “assignees,” Account Planning Group of Canada (APG) and People of Colour in Advertising and Marketing (POCAM), have the right to cancel or suspend the contest, or modify the rules.
3. Participant’s teams’ submissions are reviewed by a panel of judges and a singular winning team will be selected by this same panel of judges.
4. The winning team will be based on the participants that have demonstrated the most progress in advancing the conversation around DEI through their reimagined brief.
5. The prize consists of a cash amount which to be shared evenly by the winning team, across all participants.
6. It is the individual winner's responsibility to understand and abide by any federal, provincial, territorial, local or foreign tax laws that may apply to receipt of a Prize.
7. The contest result and the winning team will be announced at the event on Mar 4, 2026 at Dentsu, 1 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5J 2P1

Submissions will be made available on the APG and POCAM websites as resources for the broader industry.

Tickets are available for purchase here.