July 29, 2020 (Niagara, ON) – The 2021 Canada Games Host Society is pleased to announce that Shaun O’Melia, a freelance graphic designer based out of St. Catharines, Ont., has been selected to design the medals that will be presented to athletes that gain the podium at the Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games. O’Melia was selected out of a group of over 45 applicants before his vision for Niagara 2021’s medals was chosen ahead of five other semi-finalists and two finalists.
O’Melia’s winning design, which captures the essence and spirit of Niagara, will be revealed during Niagara 2021’s 100-Day-Out Event scheduled for April 2021 after the design has received final approval and fabrication by TECK Resources Limited, the exclusive medal supplier of the Canada Games.
“We are extremely fortunate to have had so many talented applicants participate in this process, and we are thrilled to have selected an artist as gifted as Shaun. We look forward to sharing the ingenuity of his design at our 100-Day-Out Event,” said Doug Hamilton, Chair of the 2021 Canada Games Host Society.
A graduate of Niagara College, O’Melia specializes in branding and illustration as a graphic designer at O’Melia Creative Company in St. Catharines. His operation focuses on the creative needs of local businesses, and his clients have included Niagara Parks, Ontario Craft Wineries and Brimstone Brewing Company. O’Melia recently initiated a community-driven campaign focused on a screen-printed poster, called “In This Together”, that featured a number of small businesses in St. Catharines that were directly impacted by COVID-19, all in an effort to raise funds for the businesses and Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold. The poster sold out of its exclusive run of 60 prints over the month of May.
“It's an absolute honour to be written into Canada Games history,” added O’Melia, the winner of Niagara 2021’s medal design program. “As a Graphic Designer who calls Niagara home, I was thrilled to learn that my vision will be a symbol of victory for select athletes from across the nation at the Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games. I truly hope it's as special to them as it is to me.”
As the winning designer, O’Melia will also receive a $2,000 honorarium, a set of commemorative medals and participate in the first medal ceremony during the Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games.
“Shaun O’Melia took an idea, a community of inspiration and a unique landscape and wove these elements into a medal design that will be another moment of firsts at the 2021 Canada Summer Games held in Niagara next year,” said Debbie Zimmerman, Chief Executive Officer of the Grape Growers of Ontario and a member of Niagara 2021’s Medal Design Committee. “Shaun is a Niagara College graduate and local business owner, who was able to capture Niagara’s beauty, history and people, while also giving a nod to the youth who’ll be participating in the Games, all on a 2.75” medal, and we can’t wait to reveal his creative design at our 100-Day-Out Event next April.”
Teck Resources Limited (Teck), Canada’s largest diversified resource company, will supply the metal and oversee the production of every gold, silver and bronze medal awarded at the 2021 Canada Summer Games in Niagara.
At the peak of Niagara’s boldest summer yet, more than 5,000 young athletes and their coaches will gather to compete for the podium in Canada’s largest multi-sport event. On its road to glory, this shining generation of hopefuls will leave its mark on our community and on the country – transforming, inspiring, and unifying us all through the power of sport.
As ambassadors of Niagara’s unrivaled warmth and compassion, thousands of volunteers will play host to the nation. The Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games will celebrate the wonder of sport alongside arts and culture. The Games will honour our Indigenous communities, and showcase a remarkable heritage of hard work and innovation in one of the world’s most awe-inspiring destinations.
With world-renowned hospitality, the people of Niagara will welcome visitors from across the country. Spirited events, spectacular entertainment, and the theatre of elite competition will spark new energy in the region as our streets, skies, and waterways shimmer with ceremony and celebration that is befitting of Canada’s best young athletes.
From August 6th to 21st, 2021, Niagara will surge stronger than ever on the national stage. The Games will give rise to a new legacy of ambition, confidence, and compassion that will inspire generations to come. For further information, visit us at niagara2021.ca or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@2021canadagames).
Christopher Séguin, Media & Communications Coordinator
289.880.4005
