A graphic design company is giving graduating students a chance to showcase their work while shining a light on mental health issues.
Ted Lau, a Coquitlam resident and CEO of Ballistic Arts Media Studios Inc., established the MyAwesomeSelf contest as part of a leadership course he was taking. The contest tasks graduating design students in B.C. with creating a short video, poster or micro-website focused on mental health awareness.
Lau wanted to give students - often graduating with a large student loan debt and a limited portfolio - a venue to showcase their work and put their creative spin on a difficult topic.
"Mental health is an issue that has been very prevalent in our society, particularly with the Amanda Todd story recently," Lau said. "And personally, as an entrepreneur, we struggle with that a lot."
Submissions are open until Sept. 30, after which they'll be posted at MyAwesomeSelf.com for public voting for two weeks. The design with the most votes will win $1,000.
Visitors to the site will also be prompted to donate to the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
