OCAD U and Instagram collaborate to encourage civic engagement this election

Reveals new Instagram tools in celebration of International Day of Democracy

TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2019 /CNW/ - In the lead up to the upcoming 2019 federal election, OCAD University and Instagram have teamed up to encourage Canadians to participate in the election. This past spring, OCAD U and Instagram launched the "I Voted" sticker competition, which provided design students at OCAD U and NSCAD with an opportunity to design an Instagram Story sticker that will allow Canadians to share their voting experience with the rest of the Instagram community. The sticker will also link to timely Election Day information on when and where Canadians can vote.

Third-year OCAD U student, Charlotte Durnford-Dionne, won the competition, alongside Kassidy Bernard, a student from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD). Both will have their designs become official Instagram Story stickers during the election, received $5,000 cash and a trip to San Francisco, where they met with the Instagram team to finalize their design.

"We are delighted to participate in this important partnership with Instagram to promote civic engagement and voter turnout," said Dr. Sara Diamond, President and Vice-Chancellor, OCAD University. "As Canada's oldest and largest art, design and media university, OCAD U also plays a special role in stimulating critical thinking and nurturing highly qualified problem-solvers and creative makers that our diverse and complex world needs."

"Civic engagement is integral to a thriving democracy, where every Canadian has a voice and can contribute to building vibrant communities. At Instagram, we want to help our community share that they voted and connect them to timely and accurate information on when and where they can vote on Election Day," said Jessica Smith, Public Policy Manager at Facebook and Instagram Canada. "We are proud to collaborate with local students to design the I Voted stickers that will be featured in this election, and thank OCAD U for their partnership to encourage strong voter turnout."

The winning stickers will be released on Instagram in the lead up to the federal election. In addition to the Instagram I Voted sticker, Facebook also announced today additional civic engagement tools to encourage voter registration, connect people to information about when and where to vote, and allow them to celebrate with fun ways to share they voted.

The United Nations' International Day of Democracy takes place this Sunday, September 15 and celebrates the benefits that democracy has brought to people around the globe.

About OCAD University (OCAD U)

OCAD University (www.ocadu.ca) is Canada's university of the imagination. Founded in 1876, the university is dedicated to art, design and digital media education, practice and research and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines.

SOURCE OCAD University