It was only while studying for socials that 13-year-old Olivia Blaze Richert stumbled across a national drawing contest to mark 100 years of women being allowed to vote in Canada.
Olivia, who’s now 14, spent several weeks creating the period poster which urged women of the time to come to a meeting and express their right to vote.
The teenager, who’s schooled at her Cambie and Bridgeport home by mom Tamara, even missed several social events on the last weekend before the competition closed to perfect her design.
Her dedication, however, paid off – her “Women of Steel” poster beat hundreds of entries to win the Historica Canada “Votes for Women” contest in the Grade 5-8 section.
“We were at home in front of the computer when the email came through,” said her mom.
“She was ready and waiting for the result; she was stunned, but elated and she did jump around after the news sunk in.
“I was very excited for her; her perseverance paid off. She was pretty resolute in her ideas and had to learn new techniques to get the effect she wanted.”
As well as her winning poster taking pride of place on Historica Canada’s website and on the family wall, Olivia, who is also a Richmond News carrier, won a $500 gift card.
