NEW YORK—The overhauled LED pylon at the Rogers Centre, home to the Toronto Blue Jays, won the 2026 Sign Design Award for best installation at an arena or stadium. Winners were selected by a panel of judges assembled by Sign Builder Illustrated and announced in the magazine’s October 2026 issue.
The Rogers Centre Gardiner Pylon stands out from conventional pylon signs for its fully wrapped screen and illuminated pole cladding. It is part of a progressive series of video upgrades at the Blue Jays’ home stadium, all provided by SNA Displays. Owner-representative Anthony James Partners collaborated with the Blue Jays to provide full design, procurement, and construction administration services for the reimagined Gardiner LED pylon, selecting SNA Displays to provide 10 mm EMPIRE™ Exterior LED video technology for the retrofit.
Originally a standard two-sided digital billboard, the Rogers Centre Gardiner pylon now features illuminated channel lettering, Blue Jays logos, and pylon cladding with accent lights, all courtesy of Atec Signs, which also provided demolition and installation services. Color-changing RGBW lighting accents, integrated with Traxon Direct View and Wash RGBW lighting fixtures, offer vibrant, programmable color effects not available as part of the previous signage system.
Each side of the pylon’s 360°-wrapped screen is approximately 55 feet wide with the entire screen featuring 158 feet of continuous LED video at a resolution of 936 x 4,736 pixels. Each curved end of the screen has a tight radius of 7’4”, giving the entire display structure a depth of 14 feet that accommodates interior catwalks for improved service and maintenance access.
In total, the LED pylon processes 4.4 million pixels across approximately 4,800 square feet of digital canvas, a face area that is 45% larger than the original.
“Given the design of this pylon and the great execution by our team and all of the technology partners involved, the Blue Jays’ pylon is absolutely deserving of some recognition,” said Mitch Leathers, vice president of marketing communications for SNA Displays. “A big congratulations goes out to Anthony James Partners and the Blue Jays for the vision and design that make this LED pylon stand out, both in the Toronto area and in the digital signage industry.”
Showcasing top designs submitted by readers of Sign Builder Illustrated, the Sign Design Awards recognize excellence in eight categories: electronic messaging centers, arena/stadium LED installations, restaurant/bar installations, vehicle wraps, university/school signage, channel lettering, carved signage, and neon or faux-neon signage. Winners are chosen by a panel of sign industry judges with expertise in topics ranging from digital and print signage, channel letter production, neon/faux-neon, carving, and general sign production.
About SNA Displays
SNA Displays is a leading LED video display manufacturer across several market sectors including sports and live-event venues, out-of-home (OOH), commercial real estate, retail environments, museums and commissioned digital art, workplaces, new construction, and many others. With a focus on quality, technological and construction expertise, and dependable service, SNA Displays has worked alongside technology partners to design and build some of the largest and most recognizable LED video installations in the world. Discover how SNA Displays builds big on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Vimeo, or visit us at snadisplays.com.