Qantas has held its ninth annual Spirit of Youth Awards (SOYA365), recognising 11 outstanding young Australians for their creative talent.
SOYA is the leading grants program for emerging creative talent and Qantas provides young Australians with financial and professional support to help them achieve their artistic goals.
SOYA365 film winner Gracie Otto
Qantas Group Executive for Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Olivia Wirth, said Qantas has supported the SOYA awards since their inception in 2004.
“As Australia’s national carrier, we’ve been helping showcase Australian talent on the world stage for many decades, through business, food and wine, fashion, film and many varied industries,” said Wirth.
“Qantas recognises the high level of skill and creativity that Australia has to offer and we are privileged to foster and promote such creative potential, particularly among young Australians.”
Birds of Tokyo perform at the SOYA365 Awards
SOYA365 winners receive $5000 worth of air travel and a further $5,000 in cash aimed to help them expand their horizons and develop their contacts nationally and internationally.
Winners also receive a 12 month mentorship with a professional leader in their chosen field. Mentors offer strategic advice on the next steps forward on the road to success.
The evening, held at Oxford Arts Factory and hosted by Adam Spencer, will showcase the work of each winner and will include special performances by ARIA award winners Birds of Tokyo, SOYA Music category runner-up Brendan McLean and DJs Stereogamous.
THE 2013 SOYA365 WINNERS
FILM & VIDEO
Winner – Gracie Otto
Mentor – Robert Luketic
FASHION
Winner – Shannon Gunn & Gabrielle Thompson
Mentor – Zimmermann (Nicky & Simone Zimmermann)
MUSIC
Winner – Elizabeth Rose
Mentor – Lee Groves
PHOTOGRAPHY
Winner – Sophie Richards
Mentor – Polly Borland
INTERACTIVE CONTENT & GAMING
Winner – Josh McGrath
Mentor – Soap Creative (Ashley Ringrose & Brad Eldridge)
WRITTEN WORD
Winner – Alli Sebastian Wolf
Mentor – Lisa Dempster
VISUAL DESIGN & COMMUNICATION
Winner – Wing Lau
Mentor – Vince Frost
VISUAL ARTS
Winner – Alasdair McLuckie
Mentor – Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE
ANIMATION
Winner – Peter Lowey
Mentor – Marco Marenghi
ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN
Winner – Michael Ong
Mentor – Brian Zulaikha
CRAFT & OBJECT DESIGN
Winner – Andrew Southwood-Jones and Alexander Kashin
Mentor – Marc Newson
