For the past few years, Darynn Bednarczyk has entered the annual Legion poster contest without hearing back. This year, however, on her final year of eligibility, the Mount Baker Secondary senior made it all the way to the top. She has been awarded first place in her category in the national contest.
Bednarczyk said the difference is that this year she drew on much more personal sources for the work of art.
"I decided I was going to do a tribute to my grandpa, because he fought in World War II. I drew a portrait of him and used all his war photos and his medals," Bednarczyk said. "In past years I just went with pictures off of Google and it didn't have the personal relevance to me. This one was very personal, and that's what the judges saw in it."
She first won the Cranbrook level, then the zone level and then she was notified by email that she had won in B.C.
“Then yesterday I got the letter in the mail that (said) I had won the entire competition,” she said. “It was pretty special too because one of the judges from Ottawa wrote me a personal letter saying how touching it was that I did a tribute to my grandpa.”
The contest is held across Canada, with most schools participating.
She wasn’t sure how many others entered on the national level, but when she won at the B.C. level, they told her it was out of 7,000 entries.
Her entry is in the senior category, which is Grades 10, 11 and 12. The category is divided into colour and black and white entries.
Bednarczyk took first place in the black and white category and received $1,000, as well as a trip for her and one parent to the nation’s capital in November for the Remembrance Day ceremony.
Bednarczyk said so far she has received monetary prizes, but she is looking forward to the trip to Ottawa for Remembrance Day. She will get to lay a wreath on behalf of the Legion.
Her artwork will also be on display at the Canadian War Museum for one year.