Aboriginal Art and Writing Awards - National Aboriginal Day

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2012 First Nations National Aboriginal Day Celebrations

Youth Winners honoured at Reception hosted by Joseph Boyden at Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg

Winnipeg – June 21, 2012 – Seventeen-year-old Tommy Starr from Pine Creek First Nation in Northern Manitoba placed first in the Junior Writing Category of The Historica-Dominion Institute’s annual Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge for his work A Day with the Grandfathers.” Tommy joined Giller winner Joseph Boyden at a special awards reception today at the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg, along with fellow winners , Stephanie Wesley (29) of Thunder Bay, Ontario Victoria Swain (17) of Bruce Mines, Ontario, and Melanie Jewell (24) of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.

Manitoba is also home to two of this year’s Arts finalists, Jordan Stranger (23) of Winnipeg and Amber Wilkinson (28) of St. Andrews, as well as two Writing Finalists, finalists Kelly Delaronde (15) of Dauphin, and Joshua Whitehead (23), of Selkirk.

Presented by Enbridge Inc., for the past 8 years, the Challenge has invited youth from across Canada to explore an aspect of their heritage through literary and visual arts for a chance to win more than $15,000 in prizes.

The 2012 award ceremony featured a high-energy performance from the Aboriginal School of Dance and was attended by youth as well as community leaders.

“I’m excited to host the National Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge for a fourth consecutive year. This time we’ll be in beautiful Winnipeg and on National Aboriginal Day, to boot. And this year’s competition saw the largest number of entries in the event’s history. The competition was fierce, and all of the winners are wonderfully talented.” – Joseph Boyden.

“Each year the Challenge grows, as more and more First Nations, Métis, and Inuit youth create compelling pieces, sharing their heritage and talent through this competition. The Institute is excited to celebrate this new generation of artists and storytellers and all of this year’s winners.”— Jeremy Diamond, Director at The Historica-Dominion Institute.

The Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge encourages Aboriginal youth to interpret an aspect of their heritage through art or writing. More than 375 submissions were received this year. Work is juried by an esteemed panel which includes Lee Maracle, John Kim Bell, Stan Bevan and Drew Hayden Taylor. Winner profiles at http://www.our-story.ca.

Winners – 2012 Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge
Writing Challenge Winners 14-18:

1. Tommy Starr. 17. Camperville, MB.
2. Summer-Harmony Twenish. 15. Edmonton, AB.
3. Raiden Bastien. 15. Fort Macleod, AB.
4. Emily Valin. 16. Kamloops, BC.
5. Elise Bilodeau. 18. Spruce Grove, AB.
6. Tarene Thomas. 15. Enoch, AB.
7. Kawenni:io Lawrence. 16. Kahnawake, QC.
8. Billy-Ray Belcourt. 17. Joussard, AB.
9. Kelly Delaronde. 15. Dauphin, MB.
10. Cheyenne Hope. 17. Midway, BC.
Writing Challenge Winners 19-29:

1. Stephanie Wesley. 29. Thunder Bay, ON.
2. Jillian Morgan. 21. Ottawa, ON.
3. Eliza Christie. 20. Vancouver, BC.
4. Emily Brant. 20. Burlington, ON.
5. Lindsay Brumwell. 26. Deseronto, ON.
6. Joshua Whitehead. 23. Selkirk, MB.
7. Shady Hafez. 20. Kitigan Zibi, QC.
8. Shelbi Jonathan. 20. Ohsweken, ON.
9. Brandon Babineau. 22. Bouctouche Cove, NB.
10. Raven Weal. 20. Cochrane, AB.
Arts Challenge Winners 14-18:

1. Victoria Swain. 17. Bruce Mines, ON.
2. Kelly Duquette. 17. Atikokan, ON.
3. Alexa Stang. 18. Edson, AB.
4. Amelia Scott. 17. Kenora, ON.
5. Brandan Wilson. 14. Copper Cliff, ON.
Arts Challenge Winners 19-29:

1. Melanie Jewell. 24. Fort Smith, NT.
2. Allison Whiteman. 28. Fort Qu’Appelle, SK.
3. Victoria Ransom. 22. Akwesasne, ON.
4. Jordan Stranger. 23. Winnipeg, MB.
5. Amber Wilkinson. 28. St. Andrew. MB.

Presented by Enbridge Inc., the Challenge is a program of The Historica-Dominion Institute. Supporting sponsors include sponsors, Vale, TD Bank Group, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and Canada’s History magazine. Media Sponsors include Aboriginal Link and Blackstone.

The Historica-Dominion Institute is the largest independent organization dedicated to history and citizenship in Canada. Its mandate is to build active and informed citizens through a greater knowledge and appreciation of the history, heritage and stories of Canada. Visit http://www.historica-dominion.ca.

Enbridge Inc. is a North American leader in delivering energy and one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. Enbridge operates the world’s longest crude oil and liquids transportation system, as well as natural gas gathering, transmission and midstream businesses, and Canada’s largest natural gas distribution company. Enbridge has interests in close to 1,000 megawatts of renewable and alternative energy generating capacity. Enbridge is committed to making the communities where it has operations better places to live, and is proud to invest in programs like the Aboriginal Arts & Writing challenge that help to develop the leaders of tomorrow. For many years, Enbridge has provided funding to Aboriginal and Native American people for education and scholarship initiatives. Enbridge employs approximately 7,000 people, primarily in Canada and the U.S. and is ranked as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers, and one of the Top 100 Companies to Work for in Canada.

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For more information:
Davida Aronovitch
The Historica-Dominion Institute
1.866.701.1867 x 222
daronovitch@historica-dominion.ca