But we’re here to help! Check out this post highlighting our 9 Principles of Awesome. And message any of our Trustees. We’re eager to give you advice on what makes for a great application.

JourneyAmerica: To share and highlight the stories of extraordinary individuals making a positive impact in communities across the Americas by riding two horses from Canada to Brazil.

Let’s Pick Fruit With Our Computers: Roughly 1.5 million pounds of fruit grows from Toronto’s trees every year. 11% of our total urban canopy makes stuff we can eat. We’re living with an abundance and we barely know what to do with it all – or that it exists in the first place.  Looking for your local fruit tree?  Not Far From The Tree wants to build a web site to make it easy to find.

Scientific Poster Meets Street Art: Art meets science meets graffiti through alleyway poster installations detailing the research of our city’s leading graduate students.

Solar Fire Haiti: No, it’s not an evil mission to burn Haiti or some freaky solar eclipse. Solar Fire Haiti is the invention of a man with a mission… an open-source design for a thermal energy stove that can be used for cooking in a range of developing countries, without the need for electricity of firewood. Awesome for moresome.

Walkable Planets Toronto: Ever felt like you’re on another planet? Ever had moments where you’re lost in space? Well, the Walkable Planets community art project now gives you official permission to go and explore your inner galaxy through durable works of art in public parks around Toronto. The project will include the creation of ten art installations in public park spaces throughout the city at a scale of one to five billion. The project will be centered in Christie Pits Park with a sculpture representing “the Sun”, whilst the remaining planet installations will be placed at other parks like Trinity Bellwoods, Dufferin Grove and High Park.

ZED.TO: ZED.TO is an immersive online and live theatre experience that asks Torontonians to participate in a story about the end of the world, brought about by a fictional biotech company called ByoLogyc.  The experience will unfold over an 8 month period, linking major arts festivals across the city such as Fringe and Nuit Blanche.

1) Congratulations! What’s your project all about?
My project is a demo for how to shoot gusts of fire in whatever colour I choose and can mix the chemistry for, automatically, by electronic control. It is also about producing something that appears to be laughably dangerous, but is in reality reasonably safe. As long as it’s pointed away from yourself, anything flammable, and things you don’t want covered in metal salts, anyway.

2) Where can we follow your progress?  Will their be a public showing at some point?
You can follow my process at  http://www.alexleitch.com/?p=370 , where I have just put up the first pictures of fancy switches and some non-specific 3d renders. Everything will be in bits until it is magically complete, because at this point I have time to make a really good blog template, or I have, um, time to build a gun that shoots rainbows. http://www.alexleitch.com will always be an excellent resource for whatever I am coming up with this week.

3) What could possibly go wrong?
What ELSE could possibly go wrong?!

Technical Answer: it could actually blow up in my hands! Or someone else’s, which would be so much worse.

Congratulations Alex!

Created by awesome volunteer (and past Awesome Foundation applicant) Gregory Alan Elliott. Cool, huh? Wanna get in touch with Greg? Ping him here: @greg_a_elliott.

Cyclopede – The Walking Bicycle: They say you shouldn’t reinvent the wheel, but nobody said anything about reinventing two wheels, aka… the bicycle. Three engineers from UoT and Site3 (yay that rhymes) have got together to reassemble the humble push bike as… erm…. as…erm….a giant pair of legs. Or something. Actually, they mentioned a horse. A bike that moves forward like a horse. Yes. We like the idea, especially if they could evolve the bike to move like a cheetah, fly like a winged unicorn and roar like a lion at rude drivers. We’re watching your space chaps.

Occupy NL: Ain’t no stopping them Newfies, so much so that they are back on our shortlist for January. Here’s the recap from last month….

“Occupy NL is the last Occupy camp in Canada, which we thought was pretty hardcore given they must be freezing their nuts off up there. Their mayor has said he won’t shut them down because he sees no need to, therefore these outdoor Awesomists are sticking it out through the winter. Brrrrrggghhh! The $1000 will be used for workshops, rallies, speakers, and supplies to get through this harsh season. Immediate plans include starting a community kitchen and pushing for electoral reform, first in this province and then in our entire country.” We love ya crazy Newfies.

Parkdale Pirate Radio: Ahoy there and shiver your timbers, for here we have a Parkdate pirate keen to unite the creative castaways of Parkdale through the power of radio. We don’t know if they have parrots and we don’t know if they’ll make us walk the plank, but PPR (say it with a gggrrrrrr and a wink of the eye) plans to make sure residents of Parkdale can have an underground signal to showcase local overground culture. Plenty of treasure here me hearties!

Solar Fire Haiti: No, it’s not an evil mission to burn Haiti or some freaky solar eclipse. Solar Fire Haiti is the invention of a man with a mission… an open-source design for a thermal energy stove that can be used for cooking in a range of developing countries, without the need for electricity of firewood. Awesome for moresome.

Walkable Planets Toronto: Ever felt like you’re on another planet? Ever had moments where you’re lost in space? Well, the Walkable Planets community art project now gives you official permission to go and explore your inner galaxy through durable works of art in public parks around Toronto. The project will include the creation of ten art installations in public park spaces throughout the city at a scale of one to five billion. The project will be centred in Christie Pits Park with a sculpture representing “the Sun”, whilst the remaining planet installations will be placed at other parks like Trinity Bellwoods, Dufferin Grove and High Park.

Gingerbread Toronto: The world needs more gingerbread and it starts with Toronto! Venture to break the world record with the largest gingerbread house EVER built. Ever, ever, ever. Locally-sourced crowds will build this epic cookie cottage in a community party of gingerbread love. No witches please.

Flamin’ Rainbows: Awesome by name, awesome by nature. Flamin’ Rainbows is the brain-child of a Toronto rad scientist who is developing the art of coloured flame installations.The goal is to design a system that will shoot six-colour rainbows in bursts of flame, possibly from the mouth of a unicornoceros.

The Dreamcatchers: Propose a website to catch the dreams, aspirations and struggles of people. The dreams are then processed by a talented bunch of dream wizards who will then use this as direction for interactive art installations; transforming these dreams into live performances. Dream wizards will process dreams on a monthly basis, for the period of one year. Culture + dream recycling = Awesome.

Time Stamp: Time Stamp is based on three basic assumptions about human beings:

1. We enjoy leaving our mark
2. We enjoy exchanging information
3. We enjoy using stamps

Using free software which produces QR codes, a standard wristwatch with an ink pad representing the ‘watchface’ is fitted with a twist-on rubber QR code stamp, individualised, and linked to information of one’s choice. That’s it! Owners can bop around town leaving their smartmark outside or on cards for quick info exchange while networking. Kinda like lipstick kisses, but way cooler and less incriminating.

Neighbourhood Diaries: Back by popular demand! Nathalie seeks funding for a programme allowing children to express their perceptions of the world around them as stories and art, developed through local, community workshops. We loved this enough to shortlist it a second time.

Occupy Newfoundland: Wild card entry. Occupy NL is the last Occupy camp in Canada, which we thought was pretty hardcore given they must be freezing their nuts off up there. Their mayor has said he won’t shut them down because he sees no need to, therefore these outdoor Awesomists are sticking it out through the winter. Brrrrrggghhh! The $1000 will be used for workshops, rallies, speakers, and supplies to get through this harsh season. Immediate plans include starting a community kitchen and pushing for electoral reform, first in this province and then in our entire country.

Canadian Citizen Chronicles: A blog and online support group for international sufferers of Tarlov Cyst Disease. Led by a Toronto health activist.

Carly Dunster, Food Lawyer: Lawyer drops day-job to assume awesomeness as legal navigator of the food industry. From savouring to saviour-ing, this lady will offer support to food entrepreneurs so it never gets too hot in the kitchen.

The Dreamcatchers: Theatre performances inspired by the crowdsourced dreams, aspirations, and hopes for the future.

IKEA Hack Installation: Drawing attention to Toronto homelessness by furnishing public spaces with the hacked-together remnants of IKEA goods.

Super Street Fire – Turbo Champions Edition: “Each [player] wears a pair of gloves that reacts to specific gestures and a  headset that reads their brain activity. The participants face off by  controlling a two-dimensional ring of fire, creating flames of their own  color to attack and defend. A punch or throwing motion will send a  single wave of fire towards the other player’s side; raising a hand in a  blocking gesture will create a stationary pillar of fire that will  block the oncoming wave; a consistent focused thought will send a rapid  pattern of flame across the entire ring.” [Ed. Note: Paraphrasing just couldn't do this justice.]

Holiday Cards for The Needy: Helping members of Out of the Cold send photos and Christmas cards to loved ones.

Neighbourhood Diaries:Nathalie seeks funding for a programme allowing children to express their perceptions of the world around them as stories and art, developed through local, community workshops.

Poetry Wall: Teenager builds virtual poetry wall to create real-world awareness. Joshua takes his passion for poetry to create fundraising events, express the importance of literacy and emphasis the power of human rights for free speech. Less about X-factor, more about A-factor. Awesome.

ChocoSol’s “Off-grid Chocolate Factory Mini-mobile” is a one-stop-shop truck for all things chocolate and renewable energy. Tasty treats made with pedal-powered love.

Congratulations! What’s your project all about?
Our project is to promote social justice through food. Our chocolate is an invitation to participate in a more just food system where all participants are respected as equals and the land upon which we all depend is cared for in a sustainable way.

Cool. So how will ChocoSol save humanity from itself?
ChocoSol will save humanity from itself by reconnecting people and planet. We are raising awareness about the ecological implications of modern industrial food production by embodying alternatives to that system and showing anyone interested how far you have to go to be sustainable. Also, through our various energy initiatives, we are reminding people how much energy it takes to do things.

After you’ve ridden a bicycle grinder to grind a kilo of beans you have more appreciation for that blender on your counter-top at home. We’re raising awareness about the disconnect between people and their food every time someone holds up a cacao pod and exclaims “I never knew chocolate came from a fruit!”

Budget Meals: Top Chef for the rest of us. Video tutorials on how to make healthful meals using local provisions sourced from the food bank.

ChocoSol’s Off-grid Chocolate Factory Mini-mobile: A one-stop-shop truck for all things chocolate and renewable energy. Tasty treats made with pedal-powered love.

Rob Ford Bat Signal: Send a text whenever you are in need of our valiant and personally responsive Mayor! Projects a giant gravy train bat signal into the night sky.

Super Street Fire – Turbo Champions Edition: “Each [player] wears a pair of gloves that reacts to specific gestures and a headset that reads their brain activity. The participants face off by controlling a two-dimensional ring of fire, creating flames of their own color to attack and defend. A punch or throwing motion will send a single wave of fire towards the other player’s side; raising a hand in a blocking gesture will create a stationary pillar of fire that will block the oncoming wave; a consistent focused thought will send a rapid pattern of flame across the entire ring.” [Ed. Note: Paraphrasing just couldn't do this justice.]

Awesomely Strange Home: Converting each window in a model home into a periscope that can be pointed in any direction to look at anything. Catch every sunset or your neighbour in the shower. Now it’s up to you!

The Winter Space Initiative: Cool experiments in making public spaces come alive during the winter – light shows, impromptu skating rinks, or winter markets. Getting a 12 months use out of our shared space.

Fighting Toronto’s draconian street food bylaws one cod taco at a time.

(Also a larger story on Awesome Toronto.)

Congratulations, Chris Wilmer!

Yup. Global warming would be solved! Actually, the crystals in these rings (or pendants) may in fact help reverse global warming but only when they’re put in the smoke stacks of coal power plants. I’m tempted to explain how that would work, but I can sense that you are about to ask me that question so I’ll wait. In the meantime, I’ll point out that when you buy these rings (or pendants) you are helping materials scientists tackle global warming. Part of the money will go directly to research and development towards making better carbon capture materials.

How will they work?

Great question! These crystals have holes in them that are so tiny you can’t see them (typically the holes are about one or two nanometers wide). So they look solid, but they are really highly porous. Extremely porous. For comparison, imagine Swiss cheese. Most “porous” materials are like Swiss cheese, there are big holes and there are also large regions of cheese. Now imagine shrinking just those cheese regions until they were one atom thick. You would end up with Swiss cheese that’s actually not very much cheese… mostly just empty space enclosed in the thinnest possible cheese bubbles. That’s what these crystals are like. This makes them effective sponges for gas molecules like carbon dioxide. When you wear them as jewelry, you are soaking up carbon dioxide from the air around you. When you put them in the smoke stacks of coal power plants, you soak up the carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) and capture it before it gets released into the atmosphere.

You’ve chosen a local jewelry maker to design them?

Yes, Niki Kavakonis is a very talented jewelry designer in Toronto. She has several works in museums and I’m very lucky that she agreed to take on this ambitious project.

Your win means denying Torontonians free chocolate (the runner-up project). Are you OK with that?

No! Who on Earth would be OK with that?! Perhaps the runner-up and I can team up someday and trade chocolate for carbon capture jewelry.

Where can we track the project?

People can follow my research and, once we’ve perfected the design, buy the jewelry through Niki’s site.

UPDATE: A cool video showing a visualization of Chris’ research.