Winners of the ISC and NCCIH communicable disease prevention art contest
We are pleased to showcase the winning artworks of the Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) Communicable Disease Prevention Art Contest. We received 148 entries, and our panel of ISC, NCCIH, and community representatives selected these three entries as the contest winners.
The contest winners
Jayme Leigh Takarennenhá:wi Glen
Jayme Leigh Takarennenhá:wi Glen's digital painting shows hands holding dandelions and a vial of medicine. Jayme writes, "It depicts a common ground of both traditional and modern medicines. Niá:wen/Thank you."
© 2025 Image credit: Jayme Leigh Takarennenhá:wi Glen.
Donald Richard
Donald Richard’s pencil crayon drawing depicts open hands, surrounded by immunization information and the wellness cycle.
© 2025 Image credit: Donald Richard.
Travis Belcourt
Travis Belcourt's painting depicts a dancing figure under a full moon, with affirmations like, "Self Love is the Best Medicine" and "Stop Check Prevent" floating amongst the stars.
© 2025 Image credit: Travis Belcourt.
More about the ISC and NCCIH communicable disease control health messaging through art project
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) invited Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous organizations to submit artworks to be featured in upcoming communicable disease prevention and awareness campaigns, social media, key messaging and other resources. Art submissions were to address communicable disease topics including vaccine preventable diseases (VPD), immunizations, sexually transmitted and blood borne infections (STBBI), communicable disease emergencies (CDE), tuberculosis (TB), and infection prevention and control as it relates to communicable diseases.
We received nearly 150 high quality entries, reflecting the strong engagement of time, effort, and talent of Indigenous artists across the country. The artworks include a broad range of visual, poetry, song, digital, narrative, and crafting arts. A $100 honorarium was awarded to individual submissions and $250 for group submissions that met the contest criteria on a first-come, first-served basis. Each of the top three winners was awarded a grand prize of $4,000.