In celebration of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Ox, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is excited to reveal the winning banner competition design! The Chinatown zodiac banner competition has been an annual tradition for well over a decade. This year was the first year the competition went fully digital and the first year the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ held the jury selection meeting virtually. Expect to see the banners decorating Chinatown after Louis Riel Day 2021.
In total, artists in teams and individually submitted 46 entries for this year’s competition. Congratulations to Nicole Brekelmans for creating this year’s winning design!
Artist Info:
Nicole Brekelmans is a recent graduate from the University of Manitoba’s Environmental Design program. She is passionate about design and enjoys a variety of different creative hobbies including digital illustration.
The design marks the beginning of a new year, merging the positive attributes of the Ox with Chinatown’s iconic streetscape through digital illustration. The expression on the Ox depicts a sense of determination and courage, qualities necessary to navigate the unprecedented times of the past year. The courageous Ox changes direction towards the future; paving the way for a new and prosperous year of 2021.