/EINPresswire.com/ -- GATINEAU, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 04/13/16 -- Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand is pleased to announce the winners of the National Democracy Challenge 2015.

In September 2015, Elections Canada asked students between the ages of 14 and 17 to show Canadians how to get ready to vote with a creative and innovative video, image or artwork, or text.

"Despite not yet being of voting age, youth have become more interested and engaged in the 2015 federal election through this initiative," said Mr. Mayrand. "I congratulate this year's winners - and all of the participants - for their great work and creativity, and for being civically engaged."

Best video               The winner is Alexandria Masse, 15, from Windsor,
                         Ontario. Her video breaks down the voting process
                         into simple steps to deliver a personal and
                         effective message. Alexandria wins a trip to
                         Ottawa to attend Encounters with Canada's
                         "Democracy and Youth" week. The runners-up are
                         Elaine Wang, 17, from Toronto, Ontario and Elijah
                         MacDonald, 16, from Ottawa, Ontario.
Best image or artwork    The winner is Benjamin Chung, 14, from Vancouver,
                         British Columbia. Benjamin brought a storytelling
                         element to his visual piece through the creation
                         of an engaging comic strip. The runners-up are
                         Abbie Paulson, 15, from Calgary, Alberta and
                         Muhammad Ahmad Pasha, 16, from Mississauga,
                         Ontario.
Best text                The winner is Tess Forman, 16, from Ottawa,
                         Ontario. Tess took a creative approach to her text
                         by crafting her piece as a letter to voters. The
                         runners-up are Ghalia Aamer, 14, from Edmonton,
                         Alberta and Lucy Guan, 15, from Vancouver, British
                         Columbia.
School Challenge winner  The winning school is Ecole Okotoks Junior High
                         School in Okotoks, Alberta, with 42 eligible
                         entries, the highest number of entries received by
                         any one school. The school wins a bursary for one
                         student to travel to Ottawa to attend Forum for
                         Young Canadians' week-long civic education
                         program.

This year's winning entries were selected by a jury of accomplished Canadians: Ilona Dougherty, President and Co-founder of Apathy is Boring; Rosanna Tomiuk, Commonwealth and Pan-Am Games silver medalist; Teresa Edwards, Aboriginal rights advocate; Paula Waatainen, social studies and history teacher, and champion for civic education; and Dr. John Young, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

High school and CEGEP students from across Canada participated in the National Democracy Challenge 2015. With 181 entries submitted, the initiative was a resounding success again this year.

The National Democracy Challenge is a hands-on learning activity launched every year as part of Canada's Democracy Week, an Elections Canada civic education initiative.

Visit democracy-democratie.ca to see all the winning entries and full contest details.

Elections Canada is an independent body set up by Parliament.

Subscribe to our news service at elections.ca.

Contacts:
Elections Canada
Media Relations
1-877-877-9515
www.elections.ca

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