After weeks of public voting and judging, ICBC is announcing the winners of the Your Ad Here contest.
This past fall, ICBC called on B.C. high school students from grade 8 to 11 to create print ads on one of three road safety topics: impaired driving, speeding or distracted driving.
A panel of judges awarded Jesmeen Deo, from College Heights Secondary School in Prince George, a MacBook Pro computer as the top prize winner in the North Central region for her creative ad about impaired driving.
Her ad will also be featured in posters and in next year's high school agendas.
"Taking the time to design this ad made me really think about the effects of drunk driving, not just on the driver, but everyone they know," said Deo.
"I hope my ad will make others think too. Maybe, if we could just get everyone to think twice about the consequences, then there would be less tragedy, fewer families broken."
More than 150 creative teenagers entered the contest. Some of the ads are hand-drawn illustrations, while others are computer designed, but they all have one goal in mind - to help express the importance of making smart driving decisions.
"I'm grateful to all the students who created ads as it's a great way to get them thinking about dangerous driving habits, and also about how they play a role in helping to keep their friends and family safe on our roads," said Jon Schubert, ICBC's president and CEO.
The contest aimed to get youth more involved in promoting road safety and helping raise awareness about the power of choice.
"Driving is a privilege and responsibility that needs to be taken seriously," said Shirley Bond, Prince George-Valemount MLA. "These contest winners will help drivers realize that speeding, impaired, and distracted driving are dangerous and unacceptable."
Judges from across the province helped select a top winner in each region of B.C. Jesmeen's ad and the rest of the winners' ads can be viewed on the Your Ad Here website and Flickr.
The fan favourite prize, an iPod Touch, was awarded to Nina Pham from W.J Mouat Secondary School in Abbotsford, and Tumbler Ridge Secondary School won the Adobe software package for having the most participation. ICBC will be presenting the winners with their prizes in the coming weeks in their communities.
