Frida Rylev (16) won the competition run by Queenstown Lakes District Council with her poster Your Vote Matters!
The Wakatipu High School year 12 pupil has a strong passion for art subjects, especially graphic design.
"When this competition came up, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get my name out there and try to emulate a different style of graphic design than I had been doing and to try a more professional, commercial approach," she said.
The competition was open to people aged 15-20 to design a poster that encourages voting in this year’s local election.
"It took me quite a while to come up with an idea, but I knew since this would be something encouraging young people to vote, I had to try and relate to it as well.
"A lot of young people are unaware of the voice they have within society, especially on a democratic level, so I wanted to do something reminding them that their voice still counts," Frida said.
"I took inspiration for the colour scheme from previous New Zealand voting campaigns and tried to put my own twist on the word placement and imagery that I drew and designed myself."
Council electoral officer Jane Robertson said it was great to have young people participating in the competition and showing an interest in elections — even though Frida is not eligible to vote yet.
"Our youth are the voters of the future. Encouraging them to learn about how our local government system works for the communities it represents, and how they can participate and influence decisions, is hugely positive.
"This competition was a small, creative step towards generating youth interest in the election process," she said.
Frida’s design caught the judging panel’s attention through its simplicity of design, which was important for the final product given the design has been printed on to the back of a bus.
— Staff reporter
