The largest skilled trade and technology contest in Canada, the Skills Ontario Competition, returns to the Toronto Congress Centre May 4-5, 2026.
Skills Ontario is excited to welcome over 2,000 competitors competing in over 75 different skilled trade and technology contests that week, along with over 900 volunteers and over 40,000 spectators who are there to cheer on the competitors and experience the Career Exploration Showcase. The event includes competitions for Horticulture and Landscape and Landscape Design (both elementary and post-secondary level), as well as arborists and floristry.
“We are proud to have been hosting this unique event since 1989 that allows the most talented youth from across the province to compete and showcase their career-ready skills,” said Ian Howcroft, CEO of Skills Ontario. “The Skills Ontario Competition is helping to change lives and inspire leaders through skilled trades and technologies and we thank all our volunteers and partners for their dedicated support.”
The Skills Ontario Competition is a free event for spectators to attend with no registration required.
When: May 4-5, 2026, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closing Ceremony the morning of May 6, 2026.
Where: Toronto Congress Centre
The Closing Ceremony on May 6 will be available for communities across Ontario to watch online on the Skills Ontario YouTube channel.
Along with providing life changing experiences, the winners of these provincial contests have a chance to medal, receive monetary awards or prize packs, or go on to compete with Team Ontario at the Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) at the end of the month in Toronto.
Besides the contests, the Skills Ontario Competition also hosts the free Career Exploration Showcase; Young Women’s Conferences; the First Nations, Metis, & Inuit Student Conference; Provincial Entrepreneurship Showcase; and the Skilled Trades Conference for Guidance Educators.
The Skills Ontario Trades & Tech Truck department will also be unveiling a new fleet of Trades & Tech Trucks at the event.
Winners of the competition will go on to compete at the Skills Canada National Competition scheduled for May 28-29 at the Enercare Centre in downtown Toronto.
More information about the Skills Ontario Competition can be found at skillsontario.com/competition-visitors.
