Sylvan Lake’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 212 announced local winners for the 2021 Poster and Literary Contests on the theme of remembrance.
“The contests give them more realization of what’s going on and more bit of an understanding of our history and why we don’t want to see wars. But we want them to understand why there were wars, why we don’t want to see them, and understand why people went through war to help save other people and as a way of life,” said Alf Moore, Sylvan Lake Legion’s Youth Poster and Literary Contest chairperson. “We see some terrific artists coming out of these kids,” he added.
At the local level, H. J. Cody High School’s Aiden Hoffman won first place for Inter Black and White Poster contest, Megan Routhier took home the first place for Senior Black and White Poster, and Emily Lumbis won first place in the Senior Colour Poster category. Taya Van Koughnett and Austin Munro from Beacon Hill Elementary school won first places for Junior Colour Poster and Junior Black and While Poster contests. C. P. Blakely Elementary School’s Braylen Ireland won first place in the Junior Poem category.
The contest is initiated through schools that are provided a teaching aid package each September to assist teachers in guiding children through the contest elements. There are four age categories: Senior – Grades 10, 11 and 12; Intermediate – Grades 7, 8 and 9; Junior – Grades 4, 5 and 6; and Primary (poster contest only) – Grades 1, 2 and 3. The poster contest is divided into two divisions — colour, and black and white. The literary contest is divided into essay and poem divisions.
Through the Legion’s longstanding tradition during the Poppy Campaign, Canadian school children get an opportunity to express their understanding of the National Remembrance Day Service, and the act of honouring the country’s military heritage through art and literature. Fostering Remembrance, the legion indicated, is a part of everything they do.
The contests give students more of a realization of what happened during wars, all the way back to the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and the recent wars with Afghanistan among others, Moore said.
Initial judging took place at Branch 212 in December 2021. The winning entries progressed to further judging at the zone level, and if selected, would be moved to provincial and national levels. While this year’s entries were unable to find recognition at the zone level, Moore said the children’s efforts don’t go unnoticed. The Sylvan Lake Legion awards $60 to first-place winners, $45 to the second place and $35 for the third.
The Legion National Foundation sponsors a trip to Ottawa for to attend the national Remembrance Day service for national senior winners in the four contests (two posters, one essay, and one poetry). The winners place a wreath on behalf of the youth of Canada. They also visit and meet with the Governor General of Canada.
Moore looks forward to greater participation this year with a return to in-person ceremonies at the local level, which has been on pause during COVID.
“Anybody can join the Legion to help support our mission. All the funding money we raise goes to help support veterans,” said Moore.
