Backgrounder - Mathieu Da Costa Challenge

  • The Mathieu Da Costa Challenge was initiated by the Government of Canada in 1996. It is a national creative writing and artwork contest for youth between the ages of 9 and 18 to celebrate the contributions of Canadians of Aboriginal, African and other backgrounds to the building of Canada.
  • The Manitoba Theatre for Young People in Winnipeg is hosting the 2009 awards ceremony for this year’s 12 winners.
  • The challenge was divided into three age divisions: 9-12, 13-15, and 16-18. In each age division, winners were selected in three categories: Writing – English, Writing – French and Artwork.
  • For the first time, the Mathieu Da Costa Challenge also included the Public Choice Award. One entry was chosen for this award through public voting at www.votemathieudacosta.com.
  • Winning entries were from British Columbia (4), Alberta (3), Ontario (2), Quebec (1), Newfoundland and Labrador (1) and New Brunswick (1).
  • A pre-selection committee met in Ottawa, reviewed all 560 entries and chose the top 96 essays and works of art based on comprehension of the theme, originality and creativity, clarity of expression and evidence of critical thinking.
  • The final selection committee, comprised of the competition’s partners, evaluated each of the pre-selected essays and works of art based on the same criteria noted above and chose two winning essays (one English and one French) from each age category and one winning work of art from each age category
  • The winning entries will be posted on the Mathieu Da Costa web page on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.
  • In partnership with Parks Canada, three other entries are being recognized as the entries that best celebrate a contribution made by a National Historic Person of Aboriginal, African or other background in the building of Canada. The Mathieu Da Costa Parks Canada Award is being granted to one entry each in three categories: Writing – English, Writing – French and Artwork.
  • In addition to travelling to Winnipeg with a parent or guardian to receive their certificates, the students receive VIP seating at the awards ceremony,a certificate of achievement, as well as some other gifts.
  • Mathieu Da Costa is believed to be the first recorded black person to set foot in Canada. He was reported to have worked as an interpreter on the vessel that brought Samuel de Champlain to the New World from France, some 400 years ago. He acted as an interpreter between the French explorers and the Mi’kmaq people.
  • Partners in the challenge include Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Parks Canada Agency, the Historica Foundation, the Canadian Library Association and the Inn at the Forks.
  • For more information on the Mathieu Da Costa Challenge , please visit www.cic.gc.ca/mathieudacosta

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