OTTAWA, May 30, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Six prizes will soon be awarded to post-secondary students for the best public awareness campaigns about the charitable sector's impact on the quality of life. The six Student (Verb) Charities finalists are already winners but to find out who receives the $50,000 first prize for the top entry, the second prize of $25,000, and the third prize of $10,000, one will have to be at the contest awards ceremony in Toronto on Friday, June 21 at the Royal York Hotel. Fourth place will take home a prize of $7,500, fifth place $5,000 and sixth place $2,500.
We rarely think about the charitable sector as a whole. Consequently, its collective impact isn't always evident. This is why Imagine Canada and The Muttart Foundation teamed up to create Students (Verb) Charities, a national contest that asked post-secondary students to create public awareness campaigns that speak about the contribution of charities. The contest challenged students to draw attention to the depth, scope and reach of the entire sector – and to do it as creatively as possible in any form or medium. Campaigns were then judged for originality and for their ability to engage Canadians with charities, by a panel of five sector professionals from across the country.
The Six Finalists(in no particular order):
- Suzy Bodiroga, Alex Kyle, Monique Pantel and Josie Marier-Loeppky (Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Mitch Kruse and Tamara Adams (Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Laura Stobbe (University of Victoria, Victoria, BC)
- Emily Doer, Courtney Brecht and Corinne Rikkelmann (Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Tanner Ziprick and Kelly McGuinness (Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Jaclyn Leskiw, Michael Trakalo and Katie Madziak (Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Contest sponsors are thrilled with the quality of the work students submitted and strongly believe that the creative talents of young people will help them achieve something that the sector hasn't done before. "The sector needs a fresh approach to looking at ourselves and how we tell our stories to others," says Bob Wyatt, Executive Director of the Muttart Foundation.
Marcel Lauzière, Imagine Canada's president and CEO, sees the contest as "an important way for us to connect with the next generation of leaders in our sector and to get a glimpse of the sector's future. It is also an innovative way to engage Canadians with all charities, both locally and nationally."
Winning campaign highlights will be shown publicly for the first time on Friday, June 21, at the Students (Verb) Charities awards ceremony - when students learn for the first time as well, what prize they have won.
Students (Verb) Charities. For more information visit studentsverbcharities.ca.
Twitter: @verbcontest | Facebook: facebook.com/StudentsVerbCharities
Members of the media are welcome to attend the awards ceremony but must confirm their desire to do so with Lainie Towell (contact information below) by Friday, June 14, 2013 as space is limited.
For interviews with Marcel Lauzière or Bob Wyatt or additional contest information, please contact:
Lainie Towell, Project Manager – Public Awareness Contest
ltowell@imaginecanada.ca / 613-238-7555 ext. 303
or
Marnie Grona, Director, Marketing & Communications
mgrona@imaginecanada.ca / 416-597-2293 x244
Imagine Canada is a national charitable organization whose cause is Canada's charities and nonprofits. We support and strengthen charities and nonprofits so they can, in turn, support the Canadians and communities they serve. imaginecanada.ca | Twitter: @ImagineCanada | Facebook: facebook.com/ImagineCanada
The Muttart Foundation considers a robust charitable sector as central to a strong, healthy society. Through their work charities build community and address key social issues and concerns. muttart.org