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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to Kansas City, the smallest of 16 host cities across North America. We're following how preparations are shaping up and how this massive event is changing our city — well beyond the tournament.

Kansas City's Parade of Hearts will return in time for the World Cup, and it's looking for new artists

Community leaders unveil the 2026 sculpture design for Parade of Hearts in March at nbkc bank
Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
/
Startland News
Community leaders unveil the 2026 sculpture design for Parade of Hearts in March at Overland-Park-based nbkc bank.

The wildly popular, sprawling public art installation plans its next display for April 2026, spanning the city's World Cup run. As many as 150 “Heartists” will be selected to turn blank canvas sculptures into expressions of Kansas City’s cultural identity and community pride.

When the Parade of Hearts returns in April 2026, as many as 150 pieces of Kansas City’s story will be scattered across the metro — offering a summer-long scavenger hunt of the region’s identity for hometown fans and World Cup revelers alike.

“The Parade of Hearts is more than public art — it’s a catalyst for exploration,” said Jay Currie Campbell, co-chair of the Parade of Hearts Design Selection Adjudication Committee. “Every heart is a story, and every story invites us to see Kansas City in a new way.”

The wildly popular, sprawling public art installation officially opened its 2026 call for artists Monday. As many as 150 “Heartists” are expected to be selected for the program, which sees local creatives turn blank canvas sculptures into expressions of Kansas City’s cultural identity and community pride.

Click here for Parade of Hearts application details. Submissions close Aug. 13.

A young brunette man with hair to his shoulders stands at a podium with a mic in front of an image of a heart in a frame with a KC logo. An older man sits to his left in a chair.
Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Jay Currie Campbell (left), vice president of business development at Multistudio and co-chair of the 2026 Parade of Hearts Design Selection Adjudication Committee, speaks in March at a Parade of Hearts unveiling event at nbkc bank.

“We’re looking for submissions that push creativity, craft, and story,” said Currie Campbell, who also is vice president of business development for Westport-based Multistudio. “The hearts that resonate most reflect something authentic — a piece of our shared identity, culture, or imagination.”

“Heartists” must live in or have been raised in the Kansas City region, ensuring a deeply rooted connection to the stories told through each heart, organizers said. Parade of Hearts is increasing the artist stipend to $2,500 per heart — a $375,000 investment directly into the artist community.

This year's context offers artists new designs.
Startland News
This year's contest offers artists and storytellers new designs.

Organizers unveiled an all-new look for the 2026 Parade of Hearts sculpture in March. The design — now nearly a foot taller and wider than the previous iteration — also notably features a cutout, purposeful keyhole heart that is intended to add opportunity for creative expression.

Artists must keep at least 25% of this area visible to preserve its interactive and symbolic intent.

“By creating absence, we’ve actually created a portal,” said Currie Campbell, who helped select the new sculpture canvas, which is fabricated by Dimensional Innovations in Overland Park. “The open-heart design invites deeper creativity — not just on the surface, but through the air, light, and space around it.”

A “design jury” — composed of an independent panel of artists, community leaders, curators, and industry professionals — are expected to review submissions for originality, visual impact, regional storytelling, and alignment with Parade of Hearts values.

Jenn Nussbeck, executive director of Parade of Hearts, right, speaks alongside Lavon Colhour, board chair for Parade of Hearts, during a March reveal event at nbkc bank;
Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
/
Startland News
Jenn Nussbeck, executive director of Parade of Hearts (right), speaks alongside Lavon Colhour, board chair for Parade of Hearts, during a March reveal event at nbkc bank;

“By using a juried process grounded in diverse perspectives, Parade of Hearts honors both artistic excellence and community representation,” said Jenn Nussbeck, executive director of Parade of Hearts. “The final designs will go beyond aesthetics. They become expressions of our collective story. It’s our moment to show the world who has the biggest hearts on the planet.”

Selected artists and designs are expected to be announced in October, with finished sculptures delivered back to Parade of Hearts between Jan. 21 and Feb. 7, 2026.

Hearts then go on display from April to August across Kansas City, spanning the entirety of the 2026 FIFA World Cup run next summer and elevating the regional initiative to new heights.

“Through community pride, cultural richness, and shared purpose, Parade of Hearts unites cities and counties in a powerful artistic experience that celebrates unity, diversity, and the unmatched generosity of the heartland,” Nussbeck said.

This story was originally published by Startland News, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.

Tommy Felts is editor-in-chief for Startland News, a Kansas City-based nonprofit newsroom that uses storytelling to elevate the region’s startup community of entrepreneurs, innovators, hustlers, creatives and risk-takers.
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