The jury is in, and this year’s Warming Huts have been selected!
With over 200 global submissions and a full day of review by a panel of experts and local contributors, the Warming Huts v.2026 competition has come to a close. This winter, six new designs will debut alongside returning favourites on the Nestaweya River Trail.
This year’s official competition winners are:
- Moon Rabbit by Yu Liu (Shanghai, China)
- Wildlife Scramble by Charles Sharpless (Fayetteville, USA), Jessica Colangelo (Fayetteville, USA), Adrian Gonzalez (Gainesville, USA), and Ashley Colangelo (Gainesville, USA)
- Dram by Noël Picaper (Paris, France) and Joffrey About (Bruxelles, Belgium)
These winners are also joined by invited artist, Franziska Agrawal (Munich, Germany). Renowned for her sculptural works that transform simple forms into immersive experiences, Franziska brings her hut, Continuum, to this year’s lineup.
“It is a snow corridor shaped entirely of compacted snow,” says Agrawal, “It invites the audience to move through and have a spatial experience of temperatures, volume, light, and sound.”
In the spirit of community, Manitoba schools were once again invited to join the Warming Huts competition. This year, the jury selected a group of grade seven students from Bison Run School as the winners with their hut, Warm Up With a Great Book.
The University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture completes this lineup of new designs with their warming hut, Bridge-Stairs for John Hedjuk.
“By highlighting the vibrant nightlife on the river trail, we aim to frame the landmarks that embody The Forks Historic Port,” says Elena Everton, Student, Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba.
Let’s take a closer look at this year’s winning designs:
Moon Rabbit
Inspired by ancient mythology, the Moon Rabbit symbolizes wisdom, good fortune, longevity, and reunion. As the messenger of the Moon Palace, she quietly greets visitors with a serene, mythical charm. The hut features a timber frame with translucent polycarbonate walls that glow at night, while an elevated deck provides cozy seating and shelter beneath for small animals.
Wildlife Scramble
This warming hut celebrates the diversity of flora and fauna in Manitoba through an interactive series of custom illustrated 360-degree rotating blocks. Skaters at the Forks will be filled with joy, warmth, and laughter as they explore unique and playful combinations of creatures wearing toques, sweaters, and skates in various habitats. Bench seats and framed openings offer a place to rest and adorable spots to take memorable photos of loved ones.
Dram: As the Cold Answers
Dram transforms the ancient siege ram into a quiet instrument of encounter. This triangular metal structure floats above the ice, with a horn-shaped weather vane that whistles in the wind. A suspended tree trunk acts as a gong, producing a slow, resonant note that fills the winter air. A small alcove invites visitors to pause, observe, and connect, turning the hut into a shared ritual of sound and presence.
Continuum: When Water Pauses And We Move
This winning installation by Franziska Agrawal transforms the frozen Assiniboine River into a 30-meter snow corridor. Shaped entirely from compacted snow, it invites skaters and walkers to move through an open-air igloo of shifting light, sound, and temperature. Minimal in form yet monumental in presence, Continuum creates an immersive winter experience along the river trail.
Warm Up With a Great Book
Shaped like an open book, this warming hut celebrates literacy, community, and local art. The front cover honors the Bison Run School mascot, while a scaled replica beside the hut serves as a Little Free Library. Inside, visitors can share book and author recommendations, creating a warm, interactive space for reading on a cold winter day.
Bridge-Stairs for John Hedjuk
The warming hut design will use scaffolding as the base structural system, and the project will respond to the site, while accommodating the thousands of skaters that pass through every year. The design will highlight the vibrant nightlife on the river trail, while framing the landmarks that embody the Forks Historic Port as skaters and pedestrians descend to the river. Focusing on framing the view of The Historic Rail Bridge, The Forks Market Tower, and the Red Navigation Light in the harbour, our design will animate and celebrate the iconic experience that is the river trail at The Forks.
Build Week for Warming Huts v.2026 begins at the end of January. Bundle up and get ready to see imaginative huts on the ice!