Five local artists will soon see their work flying from street posts all around Delta.
At council on Monday (April 14), Mayor George Harvie recognized the winners of the City of Delta’s 2024 Community Banner Contest, presenting each with a certificate, an honorarium and a pair of banners featuring their respective designs.
“On behalf of council, it’s a pleasure to celebrate these artists and their winning banners," Harvie said.
“This annual contest celebrates the beauty, heritage and spirit of our community through public art. (...) Each banner’s design captures various aspects of Delta’s natural beauty and agriculture, reflecting many key elements that make up our community.”
The competition, now in its tenth year, offers residents a chance to create a street banner that will promote Delta’s natural beauty, culture and diversity, while also engaging the community and showcasing local artists of all ages, according to a city press release.
Three judges from the Boundary Bay Quilters' Guild and Delta Heritage Society picked this year's winners from among 22 entries across five categories: Delta Culture and Heritage (depicting Delta’s vibrant culture or heritage from the artist’s lens), Discover Delta (depicting the uniqueness or hidden gems found throughout Delta) or Diversity in Delta (depicting the beauty of diversity in Delta) — or two age-restricted categories — Emerging Artists (for ages 13 to 17 years old) or Budding Artists (for ages 12 and younger).
Lucy Yepes was selected as the winner in the Delta Culture and Heritage category for her design titled “Our Home,” which captures “the breathtaking beauty of the Delta, where land and water come together in peaceful balance.”
Kerry S. Caron’s “Reflections Across the River” was chosen in the Discover Delta category. The work is an abstract painting derived from a photo of the Ladner Harbour Authority in the Ladner Harbour Boat Basin.
Linda Wong won in the Diversity in Delta category with a design titled “Where Nature and Community Soar.” The banner celebrates Delta's unique diversity, “blending its iconic elements into a poetic visual story.”
Gali Kenig took home top honours in the Emerging Artists category for “A Sunset to Remember,” which shows the view from the entrance that leads to the bottom of the staircase at Fred Gingell Park, capturing a “stunning sunset and a tranquil, rocky beach.”
Isabella Jia won the Budding Artists category with a design titled “A Glimpse of Burns Bog” featuring a plethora of different plants, tall trees and an owl sitting on a branch. “This painting shows how special Burns Bog is and why it should be taken care of,” reads the artist’s description of the work.
Yepes, Caron and Wong each received $350 for their banner designs, while Kenig got $250 and Jia $100.
As well, the winners were presented their banners in handmade bags crafted from previous years’ Delta street banners, “a sustainable and meaningful tradition carried out by the Boundary Bay Quilters Guild,” Harvie said
The five banners will be displayed throughout the city from spring until September of this year.
The 2025 Community Banner Contest will launch this fall.
