Swash & Serif 10
Best of
Show
Show
As part of Swash & Serif's 10th anniversary celebrations, we're adding a new way to recognize the excellent work in our exhibition. A hand-selected jury of professionals will review each piece in the exhibition and select the works they feel represent the best in typography and lettering.
2026 Jurors
Jury Chair
Carl Shura
Type Designer & Design Faculty
George Brown College
Carl is an award-winning type designer and educator with a background in identity, information & exhibit design, and wayfinding. He's a graduate of SVA TypeLab in NYC, The Cooper Union Type Design post-grad, and is the current Canadian delegate to ATypI.
Sylvia Wong
Sylvia is a Toronto-based live event artist better known as Via Calligraphy. Blending 20 years of marketing expertise with her love of traditional craft and all things handmade, she creates elevated personalized experiences through live engraving and calligraphy.
Nicola Hamilton
Nicola Hamilton RGD (she/her) is an award-winning magazine designer, past president of RGD and founder of Issues Magazine Shop. She's spent her career championing the creative industries and the people who power them.
Ali Shamas Qadeer
Chair, Graphic Design
OCAD University
Ali Shamas Qadeer is a designer and educator who gets bored very easily. His scholarly work focuses on the intersection of design and political economy. Lately he has been learning type design and teaching himself how to make things out of wood.
Luke Norrad
Luke Norrad Design
Luke Norrad is a Canadian graphic designer and lettering artist specializing in brand identity, typography and illustration. His work combines craftsmanship and character to create distinctive, bespoke visual identities.
Judging Criteria
The Jury members, a diverse group of experienced designers, creators, educators, and artists, are uniquely positioned in their various fields of study and practice to represent and recognize a broad range of expertise in lettering, calligraphy, the typographic arts, and type design.
Beyond the immediate impact of a piece, the jury will use a simple rubric to assess the qualities of each work: Formal, Rhetorical, and Experiential.
Formal aspects for consideration include technical execution, craft, and quality; Rhetorical aspects include the effectiveness of the context and medium in messaging; and Experiential aspects include innovation, originality, and conceptual expression.
Judging Process
The Jury will convene with the singular purpose of making a selection of ten pieces representing the "best of show" in this year's exhibition. These standout pieces will be recognized among the already outstanding works that have made it into the yearly show, an honour in itself.
Unlike formal award competitions, the Jury Selection will not rank and grade every piece presented in the show. In a true “critic’s choice” approach they will assess the gallery show by what pieces impact them the most. Jurors will form their own personal shortlist to use in final deliberation with the other Jury members later that night. Both the shortlist assessments and the final deliberation will be guided by a shared criteria among the Jury.
The pieces selected for Best of Show will be identified in the gallery following the opening night reception, and will be shared on social media. The recognized artists and designers will be invited to a presentation the following week at Swash & Serif Conference on November 20.
Questions with Answers
Is Best of Show an awards competition?
No. Best of Show is intended to give recognition from a jury of peers to truly great work. It's another way Swash & Serif supports our community, by elevating those who are excelling at their craft.
Those selected for Best of Show are recognized with a certificate of achievement at Swash & Serif Conference on November 20.
Those selected for Best of Show are recognized with a certificate of achievement at Swash & Serif Conference on November 20.
How do I participate in this jury selection process?
All artworks submitted to Swash & Serif 10 are automatically included in this process.
Are there any costs associated with the juried selection process?
There are no additional costs related to Best of Show, however there is a hanging fee for participating in the Exhibition. Visit the submissions page to learn more.
What happens if my work is selected by the jury?
Those recognized within the Best of Show will be given certificates of recognition at Swash & Serif Conference on Nov 20, as well as a complimentary conference pass.
When will winners be announced?
Jurors will make their selections at opening night of the Exhibition, and their picks will be revealed shortly after. Recipients will be notified by email, announced on social media, and recognized at the Conference on Nov 20..
