Competition bringing new installation to Victoria Beach trail

An international design competition, which aims to create permanent installations along Manitoba’s trail network, is back for its sixth year, and the 2023 winner will head to Victoria Beach.

This year’s ‘Benchmark’ competition, put on by Storefront Manitoba and the Winnipeg Trails Association, will pay tribute to the late David Penner, who was the founder of Storefront Manitoba.

As part of the competition, the two organizations invite individuals and groups to submit installation designs that will bring people together and provide them with a place to rest.

Benchmark has garnered proposals from all across the globe, including five continents, 21 countries, seven provinces and 12 U.S. states.

“The way it works is we put out a call every year that asks for a creative way to interpret possibly a place to sit, a marker or some way to experience a spot along the trail,” said Suzy Melo, Benchmark co-curator, in an interview on Wednesday.

“We’ve had submissions from all over the world and we usually pick one to two submissions. This year, in particular, we are picking one.”

The 2023 winning design will be located on the 8th McCawley Trail on the north edge of the Victoria Beach Golf Course. The trail is part of the Victoria Beach Trans Canada Trail and the Borders to Beaches Trail.

Melo said the competition receives a lot of creative ideas, and uses a jury to select a winning submission. She said the jury typically looks for ease in fabrication, as the budget for the installation is around $10,000.

“We need to make sure that it’s buildable within that budget,” she said.

“The big thing is the context, if it takes that into account, and the details and just the overall aesthetic and design of the project.”

Storefront Manitoba and the Winnipeg Trails Association launched the proposal for this year’s submissions last week. Designs can be submitted until March 2. The jury typically takes about two weeks to determine a winner.

Manitobans can expect to see the selected installation at some point in the summer of 2023.

- With files from CTV’s Maralee Caruso.