This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.
The creative talents of some of the best high school film makers were on display at the Ontario Mining Association’s So You Think You Mining awards this evening. This is the sixth year the competition has offered teenagers a chance to present their take on the benefits of mining to society through their film productions.
The video entries from across the province were evaluated by an independent panel of media professionals to determine the winners in 11 categories, with prize money ranging from $500 to $5,000. In addition, OMA member company representatives voted for the $2,500 OMA Academy Award winner in a secret ballot and educators voted to determine the winner of the new Teachers’ Choice Award. Details about the contest, as well as the winning videos can be seen at www.oma.on.ca/en/contestpages/index.asp.
“These teenage filmmakers are amazingly creative,” said OMA President Chris Hodgson. “It is a privilege to see the artistic talent of these young people on show. Their musical ability and sense of comedy is superb.”
“These students grasped the essential importance of mining and depicted it in interesting and fresh perspectives,” he added. “I would like to thank the independent panel of judges for volunteering their time and expertise and I am sure, like me, they never tire of the valuable presentations showing the industry through the eyes of high school students.”
The awards ceremony held on June 3, 2014 attracted many distinguished guests from the mining community, government, media and education sectors. It took place at the Royal Ontario Museum, which houses spectacular galleries funded by the mining industry, among them The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. Total prize money available this year for SYTYKM was $40,000, up from $36,500 last year.
The 2014 SYTYKM competition prize recipients are listed below:
$5,000 Best Overall, These Moments, Brittany Nguyen, Resurrection Catholic Secondary, Kitchener, plus $500 for Resurrection Catholic Secondary
$2,500 First Runner Up, Suitable for Miners, Myles Torrens, H.B. Beal Secondary, London
$2,500 Second Runner Up, The Answer, Michael Norris, Hillcrest High School, Ottawa
$2,500 Best Directing, Reporting Live, Stefani Pockaj, Jean Vanier Catholic High School, Collingwood
$2,500 Best Writing, Me, Myself and I, Wellington Sanipe, St. Joseph Catholic High School, Ottawa
$2,500 Best Music, Expand Your Mines, Cody Lam, Northview Heights Secondary School, Toronto
$2,500 Best Comedy, The Office Tries SYTYKM, Ava Chiu, Don Mills C.I., Toronto
$2,500 Best Animation, Imagine, Sorrah Han, A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, Toronto
$2,500 Best video in a language other than English, Webequie, Mining, Hockey, Dixon Wapoose, Simon Jacob Memorial High School, Webequie
$2,500 Best 30-second Commercial, Supplying for a Better Future, Lucas Bradley, Blessed Trinity Secondary School, Grimsby
$2,500 OMA Academy Award, Supplying for a Better Future, Lucas Bradley, Blessed Trinity Secondary School, Grimsby
$2,500 Teachers’ Choice Award, We Are All Mined, Grace Gahore, Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, Kitchener
$2,500 People’s Choice Award, Alien Invasion, Katherine Bei, A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, Toronto
$500 Honourable Mention, Mining From a Plurality of Viewpoints, Ridwan Howlader, Danforth Tech, Toronto, plus $500 for Danforth Tech
Watch for the launch of the seventh SYTYKM competition in the Fall of 2014.