Event History
This is the first city initiative from SeeingHappy. After successful global calls and exhibitions, we are excited to extend our work through community showcase photo contests like this one. Our most recent major exhibitions took place in Brisbane, Australia; Mexico City, CDMX; and London, UK. For footage from one of these exhibitions, check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKcdspXrvuE Since its start during the pandemic, SeeingHappy has built a public archive of 10,000+ photos and reflections capturing happiness from over 75 countries. Learn more about our mission at SeeingHappy.org.
What Makes this event different?
Toronto Through Our Eyes is different because it blends art, community, and science for social good. It is less about competition and more about building a shared, hopeful story of the city through its people. Unlike many contests that are commercial or purely competitive, this initiative is grounded in SeeingHappy’s nonprofit mission: using photography to cultivate well-being, mindfulness, and social connection. Every bit of exposure feeds into a larger vision of flourishing communities, not just recognition or prizes. Photographers retain full copyright ownership of their work, while allowing SeeingHappy to use submissions only to advance its charitable mission. This respect for creators sets the contest apart from others that require transferring or limiting rights.
Copyright Policy
By submitting a photo, photographers grant SeeingHappy permission to use their work in exhibitions, on their website, and in publicity supporting their mission. The photographer, however, retains full copyright ownership of the photo: Rights Granted by You. By submitting an Entry, You agree to make your Entry available to the public under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. You shall retain all rights to the original Entry. You grant (and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant) to SeeingHappy an irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully-paid, and worldwide license to reproduce, modify, distribute, publicly display and perform, prepare derivative works of, incorporate into other works, and otherwise use and exploit your User Content, and to grant sublicenses of the foregoing rights. You hereby irrevocably waive (and agree to cause to be waived) any claims and assertions of moral rights or attribution with respect to your User Content.
Image Usage Rights
By submitting a photo, photographers grant SeeingHappy permission to use their work in exhibitions, on their website, and in publicity supporting their mission.
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Toronto Through Our Eyes is a citywide photography contest that celebrates Toronto’s capacity for belonging, beauty, hope, and unity. Presented by SeeingHappy.org and the Canadian Positive Psychology Association (CPPA), Canada’s national organization dedicated to advancing the science and practice of positive psychology, the contest invites residents, visitors, and anyone who has spent time in the city to share photographs that highlight its spirit of kindness, beauty, resilience, and connection. Whether it is a mural bursting with color, a moment of compassion between neighbors, or a joyful cultural gathering, submissions will help create a living archive of optimism. Open from August 15 to October 17, 2025, the contest welcomes photographers of all ages and skill levels.
Selected photographs will be honored with prizes and featured at a Community Exhibition in partnership with The Bentway on November 18, 2025. There is also the potential for pop-up exhibitions across Toronto that will extend the reach, inviting communities to pause and reflect on the moments that make their city shine. By reframing everyday experiences through photography, the contest fosters civic pride, sparks dialogue, and contributes to mental well-being.
This initiative is deeply connected to SeeingHappy’s mission. As a global nonprofit, SeeingHappy has collected over 10,000 photos and reflections of happiness from around the world, creating a powerful archive of how beauty, hope, and joy are present in daily life. SeeingHappy uses photography to promote positivity, mindfulness, and human connection, helping people notice beauty and create shared narratives of hope. Importantly, photographers retain full rights to their images, and submissions are only used by SeeingHappy to further its charitable mission. Through Toronto Through Our Eyes, SeeingHappy and CPPA bring this mission to life in one of the world’s most diverse cities, reminding us that flourishing begins with noticing the good around us.
