SOYA09 Winners Announced! 12/11/2009

Seven of Australia’s brightest new creative stars walked away with $10,000 in cash and flights, and a mentoring program with the internationally acclaimed creative icons that will guide their future careers, as the Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards (SOYA) were announced in Sydney on November 11.

Held in the Foundation Hall of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the awards drew an impressive crowd of Australia’s established cultural leaders and the new generation of creative minds. Fashion designers, media-makers, entertainers and artists gathered to celebrate the 21 finalists whose creative work stood out from the tens of thousands of submissions entered in SOYA this year.

Highlights of the evening included an interactive exhibition showcasing the works of the 21 emerging talents competing for the Awards. High-profile SOYA mentors including film director and esteemed actress Rachel Ward, renowned fashion designers Simone and Nicky Zimmermann, and internationally acclaimed music label boss Stephen Pavlovic from Modular Recordings were also in attendance to present awards to the winners in their categories.

Each of the winners from across seven creative categories was presented with $5000 in cash and $5000 in flights from Qantas. Mentors congratulated the winners and began the ongoing relationships that will see these young artists provided with invaluable industry experience. From professional guidance and introductions to important creative contacts, each of the mentors will provide career support for the next year and well into the future.

SOYA 2009

WINNERS:

INDUSTRIAL & OBJECT DESIGN

Tom Fereday (23, Newtown, NSW)

FASHION

Romance Was Born (Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales, 27, Surry Hills, NSW)

FILM

Kasimir Burgess (28, Melbourne, VIC)

MUSIC

Oh Mercy (Melbourne, VIC)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Nirrimi Hakanson (17, Townsville, QLD)

VISUAL ARTS

Rebecca Baumann (26, Willeton, WA)

VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

tin&ed (Tin Nguyen and Edward Cutting, 28, Melbourne, VIC)

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