Put your data visualization & creativity skills to the test and enter the very first York University Libraries Data Storytelling Challenge!  

As featured in YFile, Celebrate International Love Data Week by participating in the Libraries’ data storytelling challenge. This challenge for undergraduate and graduate students is your opportunity to showcase and grow your data visualization skills. Choose your medium—digital or physical — the possibilities are as limitless as your creativity!   

Participants can explore the use of digital tools like Power BI, Tableau, Python or R. Alternatively, students can bring a data visualization to life using the Markham Campus Library’s Makerspace equipment, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines, or even pen and paper.  

Challenge Theme: Land * Machine 

This challenge asks you to address the following theme:  

How can storytelling with data help us understand and cherish the land we inhabit, while we simultaneously create and deploy increasingly numerous and complex machines?  

Data and technology are now omnipresent, with their growing footprint siphoning more of our global resources, yet they often feel abstract and disconnected from our lived experience, culture, and land. Through visualization and making, the challenge encourages creators and audience to interpret data into stories that connect their everyday life to the broader tapestry of technology and our local environment.  

Participants are encouraged to explore any land-related and/or machine-related datasets. These datasets could touch upon environmental, historical, cultural, or social factors of land, machines, or both. Some suggested datasets include (but are not limited to): 

• SDG data, such as Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation; Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production; and Goal 15 Life on Land 
• Topographic data, physical location of trees in Toronto and Markham 
• 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report  
• Modes of commuting and commuting durations across Canada 
• Your own personal dataset! For example: 
  • Consider visualizing your physical activity tracked from a digital device, like number of steps from your smartphone or workout data on Strava 
  • Track the amount of technology you use (e.g. time spent on your phone) and assess how many resources it takes.  
  • Collect data about the animals you encounter and take photos of in your neighbourhood 

Challenge Benefits 

• Apply and strengthen your data visualization and creativity skills! 
• Prizes for first ($250 worth), second ($175) and third ($125) place challenge winners. Winners also get bragging rights that you won a campus-wide challenge (a great line for your resume)!  
• The challenge will feature a curated and juried exhibition of top works.  
  • This exhibition will be hosted at the Markham Campus in March 2026. This optional exhibition provides students with an opportunity to engage with the wider York University community and showcase their work in a dedicated professional-grade gallery space. 

Challenge Supports 

• Makerspace and data workshops & consultations: The Libraries will be hosting several workshops and offering consultation hours to support you along the journey. We also have many experts who are happy to consult on various stages of the challenge process, including but not limited to: selecting data, ideating your data visualization, and how to bring your physical creation to life with our Makerspace resources. 
• Challenge kickoff workshop:
  • The kickoff workshop provided an overview of the Challenge, including supports, resources, and details on the Challenge requirements and Exhibition details. 

The slides from the kickoff workshop are available here. 

Timelines 

• November 5, 2025: Expression of interest form opens  
• November 5, 2025 - January 30, 2026: You develop and create your data story! 
• November 11, 2025: Challenge kickoff workshop (optional) from 12-1pm 
• November 15, 2025 onwards: The Libraries team will provide suggested resources tailored to your expression of interest on a rolling basis.  
• January 26, 2026: Expression of interest form closes 
• February 9, 2026: Deadline to submit to the Challenge Submission form 
• March 2 – March 20, 2026: Exhibition, including an opening gala and awards ceremony 

Important Design Factors 

• All works must reflect the above theme of Land * Machine.  
• All works must adhere to our York Library Rules. Works that include discriminatory, derogatory, or explicitly offensive content will not be accepted. The curatorial team reserves the right to decline any work that does not align with these guidelines. 
• Submitted works will be judged by a panel using the following dimensions: Storytelling, Creativity, Visual Interest, Clarity, Data Accuracy. 

The Exhibition  

• Location: The exhibition will take place in the Markham Campus’ Arts, Media, Performance and Design Gallery.  
• Curators: The project team consisting of Alexandra Wong (Data Visualization and Analytics Librarian), Lana Yuan (Critical Making and Makerspace Assistant), and Ted Belke (Digital Engagement Librarian) will be curating the exhibition. 
• Types of works to be exhibited: Both digital and physical works will be exhibited. The maximum work dimensions will be shared in December 2025. 
• Exhibit setup: Student participants are responsible for the delivery, set-up, installation, and take-down of their exhibition piece; the Libraries’ curatorial team can provide some supports and will provide further information closer to the exhibit date regarding exact timings. 
• Exhibition dates: The exhibition will run from March 2, 2026 to March 20, 2026. This exhibition will be open to all York University members and the public. There will be an opening gala where the jury panel will announce the winners and public tours of the exhibition. Challenge entries do not need to participate in the exhibition to be selected as a winner.  

Eligibility 

• All York University undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply. You must be a current student or have graduated in 2024 or later from York University. 
• Each student can submit up to one work of art.  
• Students may work in small groups if they desire. (Prizes are then split amongst the group.) 

Questions?  Contact datalib@yorku.ca if you have any questions about participating in the challenge