Call for Submissions – Home on West White Rose
Submission deadline: Sept 22, 2026
Please note: to streamline communication and ensure fair access to consistent information about this opportunity, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section at the bottom of this document will be updated weekly with additional information as questions from the community come in throughout the process.
Opportunity Overview:
Cenovus Energy is seeking submissions from artists or artist teams interested in creating a large-scale mural for the West White Rose offshore platform located approximately 350 km east of St. John’s, NL, in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin. The selected artwork will be digitally printed on laminated vinyl that will be adhered to panels and installed on a large landing in the main stairwell, measuring approximately 146" (h) x 137" (w).
The mural project reflects Cenovus Energy’s commitment to enhancing the daily comfort and experience of all employees living and working on the platform. The West White Rose Platform is staffed by up to 144 people, 365 days a year, who work in 3-week shifts. (See Artwork Considerations for more information about the people who work here.)
Project Goals:
Support the people who keep this platform running. Long shifts away from home can take a toll; this artwork should speak to what motivates these workers to stay safe and spark conversation.
Transform an institutional space into one that feels like home. Small comforts matter, 350 km offshore. Think vibrant, colourful, warm, calming — a visual reset from the steel and fluorescent lighting that defines the rest of the platform.
Celebrate Newfoundland and Labrador's artistic voice. A chance to bring the province's culture and identity into the space where its people are working, created by the artists who know it best.
Due to the platform's remote location, safety training requirements, and the scale of the project, these murals cannot be painted on site. Therefore, only digitally created artworks will be considered. Final files will be printed in St. John’s and then installed on-site by the Cenovus team. We welcome submissions from visual artists, photographers/image-based artists, illustrators, and graphic designers with experience producing large-scale digital artwork.
About Cenovus and the West White Rose Project:
We energize the world to make people’s lives better.
Cenovus is a Canadian-based integrated energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. We have been working offshore Newfoundland and Labrador for over 40 years, with our regional office located in St. John’s. We operate in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin, where we are the majority owner and operator of the White Rose field.
Our business comes with risk and our people work diligently every day of the year to deliver safely. Our operations are guided by our four core values: Protect What Matters, Do it Right, Make it Better, and Do it Together.
The West White Rose platform was installed in the field offshore in 2025 and marks a new chapter for Cenovus in the Atlantic Region. During its construction, the project achieved many “firsts” related to engineering and design. While it is a world-class workplace, it needs some finishing touches to reflect its dual purpose as a living space.
Artwork Location:
Located in the main stairwell, the selected mural will be encountered multiple times a day by Cenovus staff. The dimensions of the wall are 146” high by 137” wide. There is no natural light and no new lighting will be installed for the mural.
The mural will be printed on vinyl and laminated with a protective film. The vinyl will then be mounted onto plastic sheet panels and attached to the wall with either industrial double-sided tape or with fasteners that come with screw caps. The caps will also be covered in the printed vinyl in order to mask their location and minimize their interference with the mural's visual impact. Panels are manufactured in standard 4' x 8' (48" x 96") sheets. To help minimize visible seams and simplify installation, artists should design their concept so that panel breaks fall in visually strategic locations rather than through a focal point. Please see below for a preliminary diagram of how the panels might be installed.
Dashed outer line represents the wall boundary, with a 1" margin between panel edges and wall dimensions.
Artwork Considerations
Theme - “My Reason to Work Safe”
Working in a high-risk environment requires a constant focus on safety. When asked, people’s reason for working safely is to ensure their safe return home to the people, places, and moments that matter most to them off the platform. These reasons often include family, friends, pets, home life, hobbies, time in nature, and other small but meaningful moments. Working safely and returning home are always on the minds of Cenovus staff.
Artists are invited to draw on this theme as a starting point, translating the spirit of these individual reasons into a collective expression. Concepts may reference the “reasons to work safe” concept directly, but should avoid text-heavy designs, taglines, or overtly motivational slogans — the artwork should speak visually first.
Who is this mural for?
The mural will be visible daily to the people working on the West White Rose platform. More than 95% of workers are from Newfoundland and Labrador, and more than 85% are male. The average age is ~40; however, the workforce includes people in their early 20s to their 60s. Workers hold a range of backgrounds and roles onboard, including maintenance, galley (kitchen) staff, drilling staff, leadership and more. Every role offshore is critical, and teams support each other. Offshore teams often describe themselves as a family. They spend half the year with their colleagues in an isolated environment. They celebrate birthdays and occasions with each other. They also comfort each other through difficult times and missed milestones at home.
Many workers live outside the St. John’s metro area and consider themselves outdoor enthusiasts. Time at home is often spent with family and friends enjoying the outdoors through activities such as hiking, fishing, hunting, and skidooing.
Music is also a key outlet for workers—both listening and playing. Several offshore workers enjoy playing instruments as a stress release.
Offshore, weather is also a regular topic of conversation, even more so than onshore! Offshore, weather dictates transportation to and from the platforms—will helicopters be able to fly, will people get home on their planned day, and will conditions be rough? And no one likes days where the fog is “pea soup thick.” Not only does it impact arrivals and departures, but it also impacts mood.
Tone and Mood
The stairwell is an enclosed space with no natural light, so we're looking for artwork that brings warmth, brightness, and energy into the space. We welcome interpretations that feel genuine and grounded, concepts that let the people who work here see themselves and what matters to them, reflected.
Imagery and Elements to Avoid
Energy industry–specific imagery
Icebergs (an offshore hazard, so best avoided as visual subject matter)
Stormy weather, dark or sombre scenes
Text-heavy or slogan-driven concepts
Artist Fees:
The total budget for artist fees for all design, creation, delivery of final files, consultations, meetings, etc. is $10,000, plus HST (if applicable). The Artist will not be responsible for printing, materials, or installation.
Payment Schedule:
50% upon signing of the contract
50% upon delivery of final files
Estimated Timeline
Call for submission opens: Sept 1, 2026
Submissions due: Sept 22, 2026
Successful candidate notified by: Oct 6, 2026
Delivery of final files: January 8, 2027
Target Installation Completion Date: February 2027
Eligibility:
Open to illustrators, graphic designers, and visual artists with expertise in digital art, comfortable delivering final artwork in high-resolution formats suitable for large-scale printing.
This opportunity welcomes artists at all career stages. Artists without prior experience with large-scale public artwork are encouraged to include a letter of reference to help demonstrate their readiness to take on this new challenge.
Eligible artists must be based in Newfoundland and Labrador, or originally from NL with a strong ongoing connection to the province's culture, regardless of where they currently live.
Cenovus believes that diversity strengthens and enriches us, and we are committed to helping to make our province a more diverse and equitable place. Indigenous artists, artists from racialized communities, and artists from other equity-deserving groups are welcome and encouraged to apply. If you wish to self-identify, please do so in your expression of interest.
Submission Requirements:
All applications must be submitted through this online form. The following application materials must be combined into a single PDF and uploaded to the online application form. PDFs must not exceed 10MB in total size. Please review our "How to Apply" section below for additional prompts/guidelines when preparing your submission.
Project Proposal (500 words max): A detailed description of your proposed artwork, along with a concept sketch. Please see the "How to Apply" section below for more information and prompts.
Visual Support Materials for Proposed Artwork: Submit up to ten (10) images of previous works that help illustrate the style you have in mind for this project. For each image, include the title, date, medium, and dimensions. See "How to Apply" below for more details.
Brief Artist Bio (200 words max): For teams, submit a brief bio for each artist team member (200 words max per team member).
CV – Artist resume (three pages maximum): For teams, submit a CV for each artist team member (3 pages maximum per member), or a combined CV if the team has an extensive history working together.
Website or Portfolio Link: Please include a link to your website or online portfolio.
Anonymous Survey Information (required): This form is to be completed by the Artist/Artist Team as part of your submission. Once completed, please screenshot the confirmation page and upload it to your submission form. The personal information collected on this form is anonymous and confidential. Your survey answers are not linked to your application in any way.
AI Considerations
This opportunity is meant to celebrate human talent and support the local creative economy. While we recognize that many artists use digital tools as part of their process, submitted artwork must be human-authored and human-crafted. We are not able to accept artwork generated by text-to-image AI models that draw on the work of uncompensated artists.
Selection Process:
The artwork will be selected through a competitive open call process, guided by Business & Arts NL. The Selection Committee will include artists/arts professionals, offshore worker representatives, and project representatives.
Evaluation
Submissions will be scored across three categories:
Artistic Value (40%)
How does the proposal respond to the brief? Does it demonstrate a clear understanding of the opportunity to create a contemporary mural that responds to the proposed theme? Do the concept renderings and supporting materials demonstrate artistic excellence?
Impact (30%)
How might the employees experience the work in the space? How does the proposed artwork work in harmony with the site? What impact might this opportunity have on the artist's career?
Feasibility (30%)
Is the proposed timeline realistic given the scope of the project? Does the artist demonstrate strong communication and collaboration skills, and the ability to adapt to a fluctuating project schedule while working closely with the project team? Do the artist's CV and supporting materials demonstrate readiness to deliver a project of this scale?
FAQS:
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Only digital designs will be considered for final artwork. Given the platform's remote location and safety training requirements, artists will not be painting onsite. That said, we welcome a range of artistic approaches — including digital illustration, collage, mixed media, and photo-based work — as long as the final piece is delivered as a high-resolution digital file suitable for large-scale printing. All final artwork will be printed and installed by the Cenovus team.
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This opportunity is open to artists based in Newfoundland and Labrador, or artists originally from NL who maintain a strong connection to the province's culture, wherever they're currently based.
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No. We're looking for new, original artwork created specifically in response to the theme, not a reproduction of previously existing work.
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No. We're not able to accept a physical painting or finished artwork that is scanned after the fact — the artwork itself needs to be built and finalized in a digital format, at a resolution suitable for large-scale printing.
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Yes, scanned or photographed elements (such as textures or physical materials) can be incorporated into your artwork, but the final piece must be composited and completed digitally. If your collage or mixed-media elements incorporate found materials or content you did not create yourself, please ensure you hold the rights to use them, or that they are appropriately licensed for this purpose.
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Yes. Photo-based and image-based works are welcome, as long as the final files can be scaled up to mural size while maintaining high image quality.
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Eligible artists must be based in Newfoundland and Labrador, or originally from NL with a strong ongoing connection to the province's culture, regardless of where they currently live.
Questions?
Please contact info@businessandartsnl.com. We will get back to you within 2 business days.
How to Apply
The following is additional information about the different components of your application:
Project Proposal (500 words max): Please provide a detailed description of your project, and be sure to address the following elements:
Concept – This is the "what" and "why" of your proposal. For example:
What ideas or curiosities are motivating this project?
What are the aesthetic and/or conceptual details of the proposal?
How does the artwork relate to the brief?
Explain how visitors and staff will experience the work
Logistical/Technical – This is the "how" of your proposal. For example:
Describe how the artwork will engage with its specific wall location and surrounding environment
What tools, software, or techniques will you use to create the final artwork?
If incorporating scanned or non-digital elements (e.g. collage, mixed media), describe your process for preparing and scaling these to high-resolution, print-ready files
Qualifications and Experience
Describe how your proposed concept aligns with your technical abilities and experience, and explain your approach to delivering this specific artwork at scale
Describe the nature of any planned collaborations with other artists, community members, or technical specialists
Reflect on how this commission would impact your artistic career and practice
Brief Artists’ Biography – up to 200 words. For teams, submit a single document with a brief bio for each artist team member (200 words per team member).
Visual Support Materials (up to 10 images): Please submit up to ten images of previous work that help illustrate the style you have in mind for this project. For each image, include the title, date, medium, and dimensions. If including past examples of public artworks, include the commissioner and location of the work.
Website or Portfolio Link: Please include a link to your website or online portfolio where assessors can view a fuller body of your work.