INNISFAIL – A local teen, whose love for the public library has been known for years, will now have her artwork on tens of thousands of library cards throughout Central Alberta.
The Parkland Regional Library System (PRLS) announced on Sept. 10 that 14-year-old Sophia Bouw was selected the winner of the library card design contest that ran in July.
The young Innisfailian’s playful imaginative design was chosen the best over 100 submissions that were received throughout the region.
PRLS said in a news release that a committee voted on the submissions in several rounds that came down to five finalists. The submissions were ranked on number of votes.
Bouw’s design, along with those from the two contest runner-ups, will be featured in PRLS’s new lineup of Parkland library cards, which will be available in time for Canadian Library Month this October.
PRLS has 49 public libraries in its jurisdiction. The organization serves a population of about 220,000 citizens in a vast geographical area that stretches from Hay Lakes, 50 kms southeast of Edmonton, to Carstairs in the south, and west from Nordegg to Bodo in the east, which is just shy of the Saskatchewan border.
As for Bouw’s inspiration behind her winning entry, Bouw said for her that can come from many places.
“This piece was motivated most of all by my appreciation for my local library in Innisfail and the adventures we find ourselves in when we open a book,” said Bouw. She added the Innisfail Public Library as a community institution is a “place of connection” that is inspired by innovative programming from dedicated staff.
“I'm sure many in our community would agree that our library provides many wonderful experiences due to the thoughtful programming and staff.”
Bouw was formally acknowledged for her winning library card design during a presentation at the Innisfail library on Sept. 18.
Tara Downs, manager of the local library, said the young teen has been a regular and active participant of many local library programs for several years, noting she has become an accomplished and dedicated young writer and artist.
In 2016, when Bouw was a 10-year-old Grade 4 student at École John Wilson Elementary School, she won the provincial Martyn Godfrey Young Writers Award for her short story entitled The Koi Fish are Back.
“She’s musically talented as well, plays the piano. She’s multi-talented, honestly,” said Downs. “Some people usually have one talent. She seems to have multiple ones.”
Speaking to her talent, Downs said during the early morning of July 31 she sent out the library card design contest form out to Bouw’s mother to give to her daughter. She said within two hours she received the talented young artist’s design.
“It was just interesting the timeline on it for a winning design. It wasn’t weeks of work,” she said. “For Sophia, her mother passed it along to her and literally within two hours she showed up with a winning design.”
Downs said she hopes the win by the local teen will convince many Innisfail citizens to get a library card, and become more active with the institution.
