Do you want to see your art on a Villager puzzle in 2027? This is your opportunity to share your art and get feedback from a village of puzzle lovers. We’re looking for talented Canadian women artists to share their art for consideration in one of three 2027 puzzle collections.
Last year, over 350 Canadian women artists shared their work, and together we’ve sold thousands of puzzles—supporting women-owned businesses across Canada.
If you’re considering submitting your art, here’s everything you need to know:
Competition Phases & Key Dates
Here’s the full timeline for submissions:
Phase 1: Puzzle Art Submissions Open September 1, 2026
- Share your artwork on Instagram, tagging @villagerpuzzles and using #villagerartist2027
- Must be a post or reel (not a story), and your account must be public
- Deadline: share on Instagram by September 18, 2026 at 12 pm PDT
Phase 2: Puzzle Art Voting
- Villager team will shortlist the top 10 submissions and share on September 21, 2026
- Community voting runs until September 26, 2026 at 12pm PDT
- Winners will be contacted by September 30, 2026
- If selected for the spring collection, final artwork and signed licensing agreements are due October 15, 2026
Questions? I'll be hosting an Instagram live on Fri, Sept 4 at noon PT (1pm MT/2pm CT/3pm ET/4pm AT) to review all the details and answer your questions.
What’s In It for You?
Artists selected through this puzzle art search will:
- Have their art featured in one of Villager’s three 2027 puzzle collections (spring, fall, or holiday). Our puzzles are now sold online and at over 800 retailers across Canada.
- Be featured on our packaging and website, with your name, bio, and story shared with customers across North America
- Earn royalties—a new, supplemental revenue stream for your art business.
- Expand your product offerings without the cost of sourcing or manufacturing
- Access a wholesale purchase program so you can sell puzzles of your own art, too
- Maintain ownership of your art – we license for the puzzle category while you can continue to use the art in other ways
Who Can Apply?
To be eligible for this art search, artists must:
- Be a woman: we welcome anyone who identifies as a woman
- Be based in Canada – we’re currently working exclusively with women artists who live in Canada.
- Have a public Instagram account
- Submit original artwork – we do not accept artwork created using AI or generative design tools.
- Submit high-resolution artwork suitable for professional printing – ideally 300 DPI or more, sized to 50 × 70 cm, and in CMYK colour.
- Share artwork with commercial puzzle potential — we’re looking for art that translates beautifully to a 1000-piece puzzle and appeals to a wide range of puzzlers.
Success Stories From Past Art Searches
This program has already supported some incredible artist careers:
- Tara Younggren - artist of Dream Library and our 2024 call for art winner has sold over 6,000 puzzles. Her art was chosen again in 2025 with Emerald Bookstore and sold 3,500 puzzles in just six months.
- Amy Dixon - creator of Prairie Sky was our very first winner—her puzzle has sold over 5,000 units so far.
- Diana Pinnell - artist for Tulip Season was our runner-up in 2025, has sold 1,600 puzzles.
- Maude Gervais – illustrated Quebec City and was chosen for our fall 2026 collection, selling almost 1,000 puzzles in the first month
Inspiration for 2027
Puzzle art requires the perfect combination of the right aesthetic combined with detail. Our sweet spot is art showcasing the beauty of Canada with details showing what happens there.
Think PLACE + ACTIVITY + DISCOVERIES. We’re looking for artwork that tells a little story and gives puzzlers lots of interesting details to discover as they piece it together. A beautiful Canadian landscape is a great starting point, but we love art that shows what’s happening there — the people, objects, wildlife, architecture and little moments that bring a place to life.
We’ve created a Pinterest mood board full of ideas, but here are some specific subjects we’re looking for this year:
- Apres Ski – Mt Tremblant patio with gondola/chair lift in the background. Detail ideas: colourful skis, cozy jackets, crackling fire, snow covered town and terrain.
- Three Sisters – Canmore/Bow Valley with the Three Sisters mountains towering in the background. Detail ideas: turquoise river, winding trail, wildflowers, hikers, cyclists, picnic blanket, wildlife, cozy mountain town details.
- Toronto Cityscape or Skyline – Toronto skyline viewed from the waterfront or islands. Detail ideas: CN Tower, colourful boats, kayaks, skyline reflections, cyclists, picnic blankets, sailboats, Toronto Island details.
- Algonquin Park – Paddling, fishing, picnic table, plaid blanket. Detail ideas: red canoe, calm lake reflections, pine trees, hiking boots, thermos, fishing gear, campfire, loons, autumn leaves.
- Georgian Bay – Rocky shoreline and crystal-clear blue water. Detail ideas: smooth Canadian Shield rocks, kayaks, paddleboard, picnic blanket, wildflowers, windswept pines, swimming, cottage in the distance.
- Cabot Trail – Dramatic Cape Breton coastline in the fall. Detail ideas: winding road, colourful autumn trees, ocean cliffs, hikers, lookout point, fishing village, red and orange foliage, distant mountains.
- Peggy’s Cove – Iconic lighthouse and rocky Atlantic coastline. Detail ideas: waves crashing against rocks, colourful fishing boats, weathered buildings, lobster traps, wildflowers, seabirds, visitors exploring the rocks.
- Quebec City – Umbrella-lined streets, colourful shops, cobblestone. Detail ideas: café patios, flower boxes, bicycles, street performers, market stalls, old stone buildings, people wandering with shopping bags.
- Rideau Canal – Ice skating with Parliament in the background. Detail ideas: colourful skate huts, steaming mugs of hot chocolate, hockey sticks, warm scarves, snowy trees, skaters, Parliament buildings, snow-covered bridges.
- Hopewell Rocks – Kayaking through the dramatic landscape at low tide. Detail ideas: distinctive flowerpot rocks, kayaks, exposed ocean floor, soaring birds, dramatic clouds, reflections, tidal pools, distant shoreline.
- Jellybean Houses of Newfoundland – A colourful neighbourhood overlooking the water. Detail ideas: brightly painted houses, fishing boats, clotheslines, flower gardens, ocean views, rocky shoreline, bicycles, seabirds, colourful doors and windows.
- Ice Hotel – Magical ice architecture glowing from within. Detail ideas: coloured light reflecting through ice walls, carved ice details, cozy blankets, fur-lined seating, warm drinks, snow-covered surroundings, stars in the sky, people exploring the rooms.
- Train Ride Through the Rockies – Train twisting through dramatic mountain scenery. Detail ideas: winding tracks, turquoise river, towering peaks, waterfalls, evergreen forests, wildlife, tiny hikers, train passengers looking out the windows, changing scenery around every bend.
What Makes Great Puzzle Art?
Through years of trial (and many, many puzzles!), we’ve found that the artwork that makes the best puzzles tends to have:
- Lots of detail and texture to keep puzzlers engaged.
- Vibrant colour palettes and defined shapes that make pieces satisfying to sort and place.
- Gradients and variation rather than large areas of flat white space, which can make a puzzle more challenging to assemble.
- Unique, joyful, cozy, or inspiring subjects that invite people to spend time with the image.
- Commercial appeal — nature, landscapes, Canadiana, and storytelling scenes have performed especially well with our community.
- Horizontal compositions, which are a favourite among our puzzlers.
Ready to Join the Village?
In the end, this puzzle art search is about building opportunities for women artists across Canada.
✨ Submit your art by September 18, 2026 at 12 pm PDT—and let’s make something beautiful together.
How to Enter
- Share your artwork on Instagram, tagging @villagerpuzzles and using #villagerartist2027
- Must be a post or reel (not a story), and your account must be public
- Post on Instagram between September 1 to 18, 2026