Toronto’s a tough city to make your mark on. But with hard work and a vision, anything is possible— especially in the arts. Without further ado, here’s The Varsity’s list of the top 25 Torontopians 25 or under. Why aren’t you number one?

Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler - BOARD MEMBER. AGE 23.

WHY HE'S RAD: Adam sits on the board of directors for Toronto Public Library, the Youth Action Network, and Wychwood Open Door, a drop-in centre for the homeless and socially isolated. He writes a local politics column for Spacing.ca.

DID YOU KNOW?? His first job was at a bowling alley. He was a pin chaser and it was dangerous!

Desmond Cole - CITY COUNCILLOR. AGE 25.

WHY HE'S RAD: In 2006, Desmond won for his division in the City Idol competition. As councillor for Ward 20, he’s a committed public servant, working with the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation, and such organizations as Youthlink Inner City, United Way, and the 2006 International AIDS Conference, as well as chairing Project Youthtube, a youth agency that encourages political discussion among young people.

DID YOU KNOW?? People thinks he’s from Jamaica, but, Desmond was born in Red Deer, Alberta.

David Waldman - PHOTOGRAPHER. AGE 24.

WHY HE'S RAD: The concert photos on David’s photo-blog Former Transformer convey a clarity and kinetic energy the envy of veteran pros all over Toronto. Also the art director for Gasoline Magazine, David is resume includes over 300 bands, and numerous covers for EYE Weekly. His career highlight so far? Getting to shoot Sonic Youth.

DID YOU KNOW?? “I was almost in a Kraft Dinner commercial when I was six. I didn’t get the callback.”

Alison Kobayashi - Filmaker . AGE 23.

WHY SHE’S RAD: Though still a student at UTM and Sheridan (Art and Art History), Alison has shown her award-winning video work extensively both here in Toronto—at galleries like Lennox and Justina M. Barnicke, and with Toronto video exhibition group Pleasure Dome—as well as farther abroad, in Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Washington, DC.

DID YOU KNOW?? “I lied about being sick for school for a year so I could hand stuff in late!” Ever the artist, Alison signed the notes on the fake doctor stationary she also made. She even practiced messy doctor handwriting.

David Topping - ONLINE EDITOR. AGE 20.

WHY HE'S RAD: David keeps hip Torontonians in the know on a daily basis as the editor-in-chief of Torontoist.com. He spent the summer of 2006 photographing each of Toronto’s 69 TTC subway stations, available for your viewing pleasure on subway platform TV screens across the city.

DID YOU KNOW?? David’s middle name is “Swerling” (his mother’s maiden name), which means his full name is David Swerling Topping.

Amanda Rataj - PUBLIC SPACE ARTIST. AGE 21.

WHY SHE’S RAD Amanda is the coordinator for the Toronto Public Space Committee’s Art Attack, a group that covers up advertising in public spaces with large pieces of blank paper for drawing on (because they tape these up, it’s not considered illegal).

DID YOU KNOW?? Amanda is a professional paper maker.

Frank Cox-O’Connell - ACTOR/PLAYWRIGHT. AGE 23.

WHY HE'S RAD: Frank’s performance in Michael Healey’s

The Drawer Boy received rave reviews, his Nor the Cavaliers Who Came With Us was part of the 2006 Summerworks festival, and he currently works with Jacob Zimmer’s Small Wooden Shoe experimental theatre company, where he performs “Postmodern Science Lectures.” Entertaining and educational!

DID YOU KNOW?? Frank plays bongos in Toronto’s Boys Who Say No with list-maker Luke Correia-Damude.

Emma Lawson - author /Editor . AGE 22

WHY SHE’S RAD: Former editor of Kiss Machine, and associate editor at Tightrope Books, Emma is currently working on a novel, which she says is an epistolary coming-of-age story.

DID YOU KNOW?? In high school she won a climbing competition at a local gym, but the other contestant was only 13 (she was about 18).

Freedom Clothing Collective - FASHION DESIGNERS. AGE 22 to 25.

WHY THEY’RE RAD: FCC supports local designers, and recycles gently-used vintage fabrics into new creations. Their passion for ethical labour practices, strong community relationships, and environmentally-sustainable work developed into a fully-fledged boutique at 939 Bloor (just west of Ossington) when founding members Ester Parry and Jennnifer Young took a Ryerson fashion school project to the next level with a summer grant from the city. The young business owners also have time for play, hosting art shows and dance parties, including one for Montreal poster artist Jack Dylan.

DID YOU KNOW?? It’s called “Freedom” because they believe in freedom of expression and responsible consumption. Mass consumerism is just another term for slavery.

Eric Warner - CONCERT PROMOTER, MUSICIAN. AGE 24.

WHY HE'S RAD: While underage, Eric booked killer shows for touring acts like Q and Not U, founded indie-friendly Over The Top Fest, and worked two-year stint as A&R for V2 Records, personally signing local pop darlings The Meligrove Band. Now he spearheads Canadian music initiatives for Myspace. Oh yeah, also: his bands Viking Club and Dollarama, and record label We Are Busy Bodies.

DID YOU KNOW?? Dollarama, played entirely on instruments from dollar stores, got a cease-and-desist from the retail chain of the same name.

Luke Correia-Damude - CURATOR. AGE 23.

WHY HE'S RAD: Luke is a co-founder of Whippersnapper Gallery, a not-for-profit organization designed to nurture young artistic talent. Originally begun in second year as part of an art-installation project, the gallery has now been around for four years.

DID YOU KNOW?? Luke, who likes to cook, was once on Superstar Chef Challenge, a reality TV show on the Food Network. He got eliminated pretty quickly—nobody told him he would be competing against a bunch of executive chefs.

Lauren Schreiber - CONCERT PROMOTER. AGE 23.

WHY SHE’S RAD: A recent Montreal repat, Lauren has done Toronto proud with her NO SHAME concert series - an exciting, inclusive showcase for great indie music from home and abroad.

DID YOU KNOW?? Lauren also books music for The Drake Hotel.

Johnnie Walker - PLAYWRIGHT. AGE 22.

WHY HE'S RAD: Founder of the Nobody’s Business theatre company, his Muhammad of Yorkville got rave reviews as part of last year’s Summerworks festival. The U of T grad is working on his 13th play, The Case of the Perogi Princess, the second installment of the noiresque Johnnie and Morgan Mystery series.

DID YOU KNOW?? The Walker family pancake recipe includes a quarter-cup of oatmeal in the batter—it makes them fluffier.

Istoica (Chris Altorf and Jessica Hayes) - PHOTOGRAPHERS. AGE Both 22.

WHY THEY’RE RAD: Portrait photographers and award-winning photobloggers, Istoica have gained a reputation as two of Toronto’s finest artists in their medium. (So says Toronto Life anyway.)

DID YOU KNOW?? U of T film students and co-coordinators of the Whippersnapper Gallery, Chris and Jessica live, work, and ride matching bicycles together.

Jon McCurley - MAN OF MANY TALENTS. AGE 25.

WHY HE'S RAD: We couldn’t give you just one medium in which Jon is awesome. He started the annual Still Camera Video Festival and worked as a production assistant on the NFB-supported (and Oscar nominated!) Madame Toutliputli, which also won for best short at Cannes. He’s a regular at Laugh Sabbath, organizes the monthly reading series, No Face No Problem (he’s the editor of its zine, as well), and the seasonal Abandoned Nunnery performances. With Amy Lam he founded the conceptual art group Life of a Craphead. He’s the front man of Rozasia, which currently has a record on K Records. Even CBC loves him—he’s employed for four months of the year on kids show Mr. Meaty as a puppeteer.

DID YOU KNOW?? Jon is an undefeated table hockey champion (at least amongst his housemates).

Newmindspace (Kevin Bracken and Lori Kufner) PUBLIC PARTY PLANNERS. AGE 21.

WHY THEY’RE RAD: Kevin and Lori work to reclaim public space by organizing free events for the city, ranging from impromptu capture the flag games in the Financial Districts to blowing bubbles outside of Queen’s Park. They also go to U of T.

DID YOU KNOW?? You may have seen their Nuit Blanche exhibit, String of Diamonds, on Trinity College Field. Their upcoming event, Queen of Hearts, is designed to decorate the Queen West sidewalk with thousands of pink chalk hearts.

Sabryn Rock - ACTRESS. AGE 22.

WHY SHE’S RAD: An actress and director with the Obsidian Theatre Company, Sabryn is also part of a party-planning company called I’d Rather Dance, which puts on parties in theatre spaces to generate interest among the unlikely.

DID YOU KNOW?? At home in Regina, she enjoys superior rock karaoke in dingy SK bars.

Peter Kuplowsky - FILMMAKER. AGE 21.

WHY HE'S RAD: The U of T Cinema Studies Student Union prez moonlights as a programmer for the Toronto After Dark festival. In 2007 he co-shot an acclaimed doc on the Bloor Cinema’s 100-year history.

DID YOU KNOW?? The hat he’s always wearing is signed by Wes Anderson, Terry Gilliam, and Danny Boyle. “I went to a Harrison Ford Q&A and he complemented me on it.”

Sam Sutherland - MUSIC CRITIC. AGE 22.

WHY HE'S RAD: Writing for Exclaim, Broken Pencil, and Alternative Press, Sam is a rare talent. Just ask Black Flag and NOFX. At the 2006 Toronto Fringe Festival, his work won Best of the Fest for Giant Killer Shark: The Musical, an emo take on Jaws.

DID YOU KNOW?? “I am really good at the Soulja Boy dance.”

Wes Allen - DJ. AGE 25.

WHY HE'S RAD: When Wes isn’t teching at the Isabel Bader theatre, he’s dropping a mix of hip-house, electro-funk and vintage NYC disco at his ultra-hip DJ gigs.

DID YOU KNOW?? Wes was a competitor at this year’s Vegan Chili Cook-Off at Left Feet, Toronto’s vegan shoe store

Daniel Karasik - PLAYWRIGHT/ACTOR. AGE 21.

WHY HE'S RAD: Daniel got discovered by the Tarragon Young Playwright’s Unit. He won their Under 20 playwriting contest, his second play was featured to acclaim in the 2004 Paprika Festival. Since then, he’s been featured in the Summerworks hit In Full Light.

DID YOU KNOW?? Daniel plays a French West African stringed instrument (ngoni), picked up while volunteering abroad.

Zeesy Powers - PERFORMANCE ARTIST. AGE 24.

WHY SHE’S RAD: For her “3 Minute Girlfriend” project at Xpace gallery in 2007, Zeesy advertised her services on Craigslist, an offer to be your girlfriend for three minutes in public. She documented responses to her “no risk of rejection, no messy break-up” offer in a book, for sale on her website. In another project, she documented the bedrooms of boys that still live with their parents. “I am trying to treat young gentlemen like flowers or birds,” she writes on her website.

DID YOU KNOW?? This year she’ll be learning to drive! She’s also looking for love.