OTTAWA, April 27, 2005 -- Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women Liza Frulla today announced the national winner of the Canada Day Poster Challenge 2005. Her name is Jennifer Truong. She is 14 years old and a student at W.S. Hawrylak Elementary School in Regina.Second place is awarded to Mélodie Beaupré, 14 years old, of École secondaire Saint-Charles de Pont-Rouge, in Pont-Rouge, Quebec. Third-place goes to Winson Tsai, 17 years old, of Ivy Yin-Yuk Leung Art School Studio in Scarborough, Ontario. "The year 2005 marks Alberta's and Saskatchewan's Centennial, and this contest provided thousands of young Canadians with an opportunity to explore the richness and history of these two provinces," said Minister Frulla.The Canada Day Poster Challenge was initiated in 1987 as a way for young Canadians aged 18 and under to express their vision of Canada. Every year, the Celebrate Canada Committee in each province and territory selects a finalist. The designs of the 13 finalists are then submitted to a jury, which chooses the one that best illustrates the chosen theme.Jennifer Truong's design has been chosen as the official Canada Day 2005 poster from among nearly 7500 submissions. The theme of this year's Canada Day Poster Challenge was "Canada from East to West." The contest enabled the participants to explore Canada and to discover the people who played a part in settling the West and helped to make Canada a diverse, prosperous country.When asked to explain her design, Jennifer Truong said, "The efforts of the pioneers, explorers, and members of the First Nations all helped create the great country that Canada is today." All the finalists and their chaperones will be guests of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women in Ottawa from June 29 to July 1. They will join the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and thousands of other Canadians gathered on Parliament Hill to celebrate Canada's 138th birthday. The national winner and her parent or guardian have won a seven-day trip to Japan. During her trip, she will visit the Canada Pavilion at the 2005 World Exposition, which takes place in Aichi from March 25 to September 25.From June to September 2005, the 13 winning posters will be on display at the Canadian Children's Museum, located in the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec.The Canada Day Poster Challenge 2005 finalists for each province and territory are:Jennifer Truong, 14, SaskatchewanMélodie Beaupré, 14, QuebecWinson Tsai, 17, OntarioAmy Stapleton, 15, Newfoundland and LabradorAnthony Yu, 13, Prince Edward IslandElizabeth Hughes, 17, Nova ScotiaMonica Melanson, 14, New BrunswickSheryl-Rose San Miguel, 16, ManitobaDevon Moar, 13, AlbertaAlice Lee, 17, British ColumbiaShellby Lucy Fely Fulton, 13, Yukon Krystal Chassé, 16, Northwest Territories Bjorn Simonsen, 15, Nunavut The Canada Day Poster Challenge is one of the Department of Canadian Heritage's most popular programs. The Historica Foundation of Canada, the Dominion Institute, the Trans Canada Trail Foundation, the Canadian Children's Museum, and the Hbc family of stores -- the Bay, Zellers, and Home Outfitters -- are the official partners of this year's Canada Day Poster Challenge.Copies of the winning poster can be obtained from offices of the Celebrate Canada Committees in each province and territory. The addresses and telephone numbers of these committees can be found on the Department of Canadian Heritage Web site at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/affiche-poster Information:Jean-Philippe CôtéDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women(819) 997-7788Myriam BrochuChief, Media RelationsCanadian Heritage(819) 997-9314
