The Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec (CNTAE) competition today announced its grand-prize winning team and runners-up.
McMaster University’s Kailee Jaimeson and Ryan Moran took home first place for their outstanding campaign. Teams from Queen’s University and the University of British Columbia placed second and third, respectively.
Denis Luchyshyn and Kyle Kozma of the University of Victoria were among the 10 finalists in the competition and travelled to Toronto for the final stage of the judging process.
“We are now the largest and most influential campus competition in Canada, and these winners were chosen from 191 teams representing 32 universities,” says CNTAE co-chair Patricia Wozniak. “While each of the top 10 teams submitted high-quality, professional plans, the top three entries displayed a level of strategy, creativity, and feasibility that went above and beyond. We congratulate the winning teams for really taking this year’s competition to the next level.”
The competition was created in 2007 by the DeGroote School of Business to engage students through experiential learning and bridge the gap between universities and industry. With Chevrolet as the lead partner, this year’s competition challenged teams to develop an integrated marketing communications strategy for the launch of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark in major Canadian urban centres.
“We value the energy, enthusiasm, and innovative thinking presented to us throughout the competition and congratulate the winners for their successful presentations,” says Kevin Williams, president and managing director of General Motors of Canada. “We look forward to welcoming our new interns who have already demonstrated their creativity and passion in this competition and we know they will continue to impress us as they help launch the all new Chevrolet Spark.”
The first place winners will receive the grand prize of two 2013 Chevrolet Sparks. Second place finalists will take home a total of $5000 in scholarships plus Sony tablets, and third place winners will receive $2,000, courtesy of Chevrolet, as well as two Sony tablets.
As a competition dedicated to changing expectations around education, CNTAE also offers internship opportunities for its top 10 teams with sponsoring organizations. PepsiCo and Chevrolet announced their newest interns for the 2012 summer and fall at the final gala.
The finalists were:
- Patrick Barsalou and Matthew Marcuccio of Laurentian University
- Kailee Jaimeson and Ryan Moran of McMaster University
- Stephanie Yang and Jia Zheng of Queen’s University
- Emily Dimytosh and Elizabeth Harris of Queen’s University
- Alice Meng and Lydia Wu of Queen’s University
- Alexander Manolii and Kirsten LePage of the University of Alberta
- Christopher Larryant and Veronica Yeung of the University of British Columbia
- Lisa Skomorowski and Kevin Ostafie of the University of Saskatchewan
- Denis Luchyshyn and Kyle Kozma of the University of Victoria
- Victoria Pham and Donna Li of York University
Denis Luchyshyn is a third-year business student at the University of Victoria with a passion for marketing in the consumer electronics and automotive industries. His hunger for competition, creativity, and personal growth are what drives him to seek out challenges and use all available opportunities to make the most of his life. He has been acknowledged with multiple awards for his high degree of professionalism, effective interpersonal skills, and a proactive attitude toward solving problems. In the next five to 10 years, he plans to develop a meaningful career in the field of marketing and use his expertise to build a world-renowned brand identity.
Curiosity drives Kyle Kozma‘s every intention; it is the reason he explores new ideas and reaches for the unknown. Occasionally, it treads over an undiscovered passion that sparks his immediate and devout interest. In fact, two years ago was the first time he had crossed paths with marketing and today it has become an identifiable characteristic of who he is and his desires in life. Today, Kyle attributes curiosity as a driving factor for his love for marketing because the opportunities to learn are endless.
