Announcing the 2021 Graduation Award Winners
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Thirty students received graduation awards in acknowledgement of their exceptional work and accomplishments.
The Class of 2021 had an unprecedented final year, defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. While they were unable to gather in person with their peers, our students continued to develop their creative practices through hybrid and online learning. In addition to a small on-campus exhibition limited to graduating students and their families, their exceptional graduation work can be viewed at The Show 2021, an online interactive platform showcasing their diverse and stunning talents.
Forty-three graduation awards and honourable mentions were bestowed on these students for their remarkable achievements by our esteemed judges. In total, 30 students received awards valued at $26,090 based on their works in the show, their GPAs, or a combination of the two.
Several students received multiple honours:
- Lauren Thu (BDes) received the DESIS Radical Sustainability Award and the John C. Kerr Chancellor Emeritus Award for Excellence in Design for her graduation project Hirudinea lampyris (The Firefly Leech).
- Delaney Soumang (BFA) received the Chick Rice Award for Excellence in Photography and the Saralee James Memorial Award for A Progression in Photography, and was also featured in a CBC Arts story celebrating 2021 Canadian photography graduates.
- Sydney Pickering (BFA) received an honourable mention for the ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism and Social Justice (Visual Arts) as well as the Vancouver Art Attack Award for Excellence in Visual Arts for her project kwékwa7 skicz7a wi kwimtscen. In addition to a cash award from Vancouver Art Attack, Sydney will also have a solo exhibition at Beaumont Studios B1 Gallery in August.
- Melina Bishop (MFA), the 2021 Graduation Student Speaker, received honourable mentions for the Opus Art Supplies award and the Renée Van Halm + Pietro Widmer Graduation Award for Visual Arts for her project Find You.
- Levi Nelson (BFA) received an honourable mention for the ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice (Visual Arts) and the John C. Kerr Chancellor Emeritus Award for Excellence in Visual Arts for his work, Ancestral Reliquary.
- Kaiwen Yang (BDes) received an honourable mention for the ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice (Design) and the WA Architects Ltd Master of Design Graduation Award for his project Counterfactual Histories and Speculative Immersion.
- Kajill Aujla (MFA) received the Renée Van Halm + Pietro Widmer Graduation Award for Visual Arts and an honourable mention for the Opus Art Supplies Award for Threads Entwined, Stories Unfolded, Futures Imagined.
Particularly in these challenging times, we are especially thankful for our donors who make it possible to offer many of our awards in support of emerging artists. Selections were made by juries comprised of industry experts, curators and art collectors. Thirteen students were also selected to receive honourable mentions.
We are grateful to our distinguished jurors and everyone who assisted in the awards process. View the full list of honorees below.
2021 Graduation Award Winners + Honourable Mentions
Master of Design + Bachelor of Design
DESIS Radical Sustainability Award |
Lauren Thu (BDes) |
Award Recipient |
DESIS Radical Sustainability Award |
Connor Budd (BDes) |
Honourable Mention |
Ecological Design Graduation Award |
Nicholas Assarasakorn (BDes) |
Award Recipient |
ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice – Design |
Oluwasola Kehinde Olowo-Ake (MDes) |
Award Recipient |
ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice – Design |
Nodin Cutfeet (BDes) |
Honourable Mention |
ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice – Design |
Kaiwen Yang (MDes) |
Honourable Mention |
ECU Health Design Award for Innovation |
Sophia Haelyoung Cho (BDes) |
Award Recipient |
ECU Health Design Award for Innovation |
Diane Shin (BDes) |
Honourable Mention |
Glenmore Custom Print + Packaging Design Award |
Morgan Martino (BDes) |
Award Recipient |
John C. Kerr Chancellor Emeritus Award for Excellence in Design |
Lauren Thu (BDes) |
Award Recipient |
John C. Kerr Chancellor Emeritus Awards for Excellence in Design |
Tuyen (Leni) Hoang (BDes) |
Honourable Mention |
WA Architects Ltd Master of Design Graduation Award |
Kaiwen Yang (MDes) |
Award Recipient |
The Wood Co-Op/Forestry Innovation Investment in Wood Design Industrial Design Graduation Award |
Chayann Aravena (BDes) |
Award Recipient |
Bachelor of Media Arts
Basically Good Media Lab Graduation Award |
Mana Saei (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
Sophie Burnett Memorial Award |
Maxime Labrecque (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice – Media |
Nanxi Feng (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
Emily Carr Alumni Association Graduation Award for Community Engagement |
Alayna Y (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
John C. Kerr Chancellor Emeritus Award for Excellence in Media Arts |
Joshua Ralph (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
The President’s Media Awards for Excellence – Best in 3D Computer Animation |
Yejin Kim (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
The President’s Media Awards for Excellence – Best in 3D Computer Animation |
Yeji Kang (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
The President’s Media Awards for Excellence – Best in 2D or Experimental Animation |
Edward Madojemu (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
The President’s Media Awards for Excellence – Best in Film/Live Action |
Yuqian Zhang (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
The President’s Media Awards for Excellence – Best in New Media/Sound Arts |
Graham Connell (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
VIVO Distribution Award |
Ethan Rhodes (BMA) |
Award Recipient |
Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts
ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice – Visual Arts |
Doan Truong (BFA) |
Award Recipient |
ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice – Visual Arts |
Sydney Pickering (BFA) |
Honourable Mention |
ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice – Visual Arts |
Levi Nelson (BFA) |
Honourable Mention |
Saralee James Memorial Award |
Delaney Soumang (BFA) |
Award Recipient |
John C. Kerr Chancellor Emeritus Award for Excellence in Visual Arts |
Levi Nelson (BFA) |
Award Recipient |
Landon Mackenzie Graduation Award for Visual Arts |
Isabel Data (BFA) |
Award Recipient |
Landon Mackenzie Graduation Award for Visual Arts |
Kaitlyn Herlehy (BFA) |
Honourable Mention |
Opus Art Supplies Graduation Award BFA |
(Hazel) Xianghui Ho (BFA) |
Award Recipient |
Opus Art Supplies Graduation Award BFA |
Vivian Elena Chan (BFA) |
Honourable Mention |
Opus Art Supplies Graduation MFA |
TanTan Hong (MFA) |
Award Recipient |
Opus Art Supplies Graduation MFA |
Melina Bishop (MFA) |
Honourable Mention |
Opus Art Supplies Graduation MFA |
Kajill Aujla (MFA) |
Honourable Mention |
Mary Plumb Blade Award |
Kristy Carse (BFA) |
Award Recipient |
The Chick Rice Award for Excellence in Photography |
Delaney Soumang (BFA) |
Award Recipient |
Renée Van Halm + Pietro Widmer Graduation Award for Visual Arts |
Kajill Aujla (MFA) |
Award Recipient |
Renée Van Halm + Pietro Widmer Graduation Award for Visual Arts |
Melina Bishop (MFA) |
Honourable Mention |
Vancouver Art Attack Award for Excellence in Visual Arts |
Sydney Pickering (BFA) |
Award Recipient |
Vancouver Art Attack Award for Excellence in Visual Arts |
Esteban Pérez (MFA) |
Honourable Mention |
Judith Warren Painting Award |
Darius Kian (BFA) |
Award Recipient |