The annual National Youth Remembrance Contest 2024/2025, with an entry deadline of December 31, 2024, invited Canadian youth to honour veterans and foster the tradition of remembrance through visual art, writing, and video. Organized by the Legion National Foundation in partnership with The Royal Canadian Legion and schools across the country, the contest challenges students to submit their works at local Legion branches or through the online platform RemembranceContests.ca for video entries.
Local Legion branches as well as the District level will evaluate the entries and will forward the finalists to the Alberta/NWT command level with finalists from this level then forwarded to the Legion National Foundation in Ottawa, where a panel of professionals judges the submissions. National winners receive cash prizes, and first-place senior winners earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Ottawa for the National Remembrance Day Ceremony. During the ceremony, they place a wreath on behalf of Canadian youth and meet the Governor General.
The competition spans four categories: Primary: Kindergarten to Grade 3 (poster contest only), Junior: Grades 4–6, Intermediate: Grades 7–9, and Senior: Grades 10–12.
On January 20, Peter Clark, director of the Vermilion Royal Canadian Legion, visited J.R. Robson School to present two students with cheques recognizing their success in the 2024/2025 Branch 11 Royal Canadian Legion level of the National Youth Remembrance Contest. Both students—Aurora (Jasper) Wilson and Autumn Court—advanced past the local level of judging.
Wilson, a Grade 11 student and self-described “literary expressionist,” entered the literary portion of the contest with a poem and an essay. Inspired by a social studies class film, her essay focused on Francis Pegahmagabow, an Anishinaabe chief, indigenous rights advocate, and highly effective sniper and scout during the First World War.
“This is so great,” Wilson said. “I thought it would be impactful to write about someone who embodies both courage and advocacy.”
Meanwhile, Grade 10 student Autumn Court competed in the poster category. A self-described visual artist, Court created a piece depicting remembrance as a celebration rather than mourning. “I wanted the eye to be able to look at any part of the work and get a story behind it, such as the poppies growing from the helmet or the man kneeling. As a whole I wanted it to tell the story of the man or anyone giving respect and a new life to that of the soldier who could have been anyone who served, whether he knew him or not, he wanted his memory to live on,” she explained. Her entry not only passed the local and district levels but has now moved to the provincial stage.
J.R. Robson School’s Art and Technology teacher, Monica To, expressed immense pride in her students. “When I told them they had won the local round, their faces lit up with joy,” said To. “Jasper created her poetry piece in Multimedia class, combining her literary talents with technological skills and an understanding of typography. Autumn worked tirelessly on her pencil-crayon illustration, even staying up until 3 a.m. on multiple nights to perfect it. Their dedication is inspiring.”
Clark noted that Vermilion Legion Branch 11 received 81 entries in total, all evaluated by a committee of local Legion members and former educators.
“The judges faced a challenging task due to the exceptional quality of the submissions,” said Clark. “It’s clear these young people put immense thought into their work. They deserve congratulations for their remarkable efforts.”
Clark also noted that there are also winners from Vermilion Elementary School who they will present prizes to during their school assembly on February 9, along with a winner from Innisfree Delnorte School.
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