Between October 29th and November 21st, kids aged K-12 in the Town of Altona were encouraged to submit their designs for a "Tote Bag Design Contest" that was held by the town.
The town received many amazing designs, making it incredibly difficult to select the winners. With nearly 70 submissions, Town of Altona staff carefully selected finalists based on creativity, how much time and effort it seems was put into creating the design, the meaning behind the design and how it represents Altona.
Originally, they planned to select four winners, one from each age group, but with a majority of submissions from grades 4–6 students, the decision was made to add an extra winner!
CFAM Morning Show co-host Zack Driedger caught up with one the winning designers, Grade 8 student Julia Wiens and you can enjoy their conversation at the bottom of this article:
Winners
Alice, Grade 12
“When I thought about what represents Altona, I thought of the Gallery in the Park, the Nature Pond, and the Van Gogh. I decided to draw the Gallery and I added little paintings in the windows that represent the pond and the Van Gogh. I also added a Canadian flag to symbolize our community and our country!” - Alice (edited for length)
Julia, Grade 8
“I chose to draw a sunflower because when I think about Altona, I think of the Sunflower Festival, the Van Gogh painting, and the flag. All of those things have a connection to sunflowers.” - Julia
Miguel, Grade 6
“I chose to draw Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ because Altona is the Sunflower Capital of Canada which is a great way to promote our town. I also drew people of different shades to show the beautiful diversity of our town.” -Miguel
Brianna, Grade 4
“I drew a sunflower and a sunset because I was born in Venezuela, and when we moved here, I had never seen a sunset as beautiful as the ones in Altona.” - Brianna (edited for clarity)
Anna, Grade 3
“I wanted to draw our house because it became our first safe place in Altona. It’s more than just walls and a roof, it’s where we feel comfortable and at home.” - Anna
Each winner will receive a tote bag that features their design. The bag will be filled with various prizes from the Town of Altona and other local businesses. A sneak peek of some of the prizes: Altona Aquatic Centre pool day pass, a beach towel, Altona merch, local gift cards, and more!
The winning designs will be printed on a limited number of official Town of Altona canvas tote bags, which will be available for purchase at the Town of Altona Administration Office (111 Centre Ave E).
Additional details will be shared in the next few weeks once the totes become available to the public!
Enjoy the conversation between CFAM Morning Show co-host Zack Driedger and one of the winning designers, Grade 8 student Julia Wiens below: