Celebrate Alberta Wilderness with the 2012 Calgary Tower murals!

Margaret Main, the mural painting competition coordinator, says that each year the variety and quality of the artwork produced has been impressive: “The dull, grey interior of the tower is gradually being transformed into the tallest art gallery in the west.”

The competition 's theme is Alberta Native Species in its Habitat. Murals  featured an Alberta native species in its habitat. No specific style requirements are defined.

2012 Winners:

The new murals brought a sense of understanding and commitment to endangered wildlife as well as the rewards of wild spaces recreation and renewal that is so important to all of us.

• Adult category winner — Landing 7A, left: "Our Precious" (The Dunford Clan Scrabblers: Heather Haddden, Sarah Woolgar and Mary-Jo Woolgar)
• Senior High School category winner — Landing 12A, right (Henry Wisewood Sr. High School: Jessalyn Rohs and Rebecca Frederick)
• Junior High School category winner — Landing 26B, right: "Saving the Beaver Lands" (St. John Bosco Private School / Team Beaver Weavers: Gabriella Rodriguez-Gill and Lillian Whyburd)
• Elementary School category winner — Landing 43A, right: "Devastation" (Alex Munro School: Sunny, Abby and Emily)
• Family category winner — Landing 46A, right: "Desulfovbrio Desulfuricans" (Susann and Michael Lagore)

2012 Adult category winner — Landing 7A, left: "Our Precious"
Photo © J. Quiroz

Important Dates

• Friday, March 9 2012: registration forms and preliminary sketches must be submitted to AWA.
• Wednesday, March 14 2012: all teams will be notified of acceptance.
• Saturday, March 24 2012: all accepted teams paint their murals in the Calgary Tower between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
• Monday, March 26 2012: judging will be complete and winning teams will be announced.
• Saturday, April 21 2012: prizes are awarded during the Climb and Run for Wilderness award ceremony at 1:30 PM.

2011 Winners:

As always, the judging was a very difficult job, with the winner in the adult category being chosen by only the slimmest of margins.

• Adult category winner — Landing 11B, left: "Swift Fox" (Angela Hauser and Karen Sager)
• Adult category special mention — Landing 8A, left: "Breaking Walls" (Laura Popa and Juan Carlos Urria)
• Senior High School category winner — Landing 38B, left+right: "The Bear" (Rundle College Sr. High School: Hannah Cawsey, Alifia Kapasi and Taylor Welch)
• Junior High School category winner — Landing 0A: "The Wolf" (A.E. Cross Colts: Kirsten Robbenveen, Kianna Woo, Alexa Martin and Jordyn Lavender)
• Elementary School category winner — Landing 47B, left: "The Wilderness Loons" (FFCA SW: Shyla and Maverick)
• Family category winner — Landing 45A, right: "The Chipmunks" (Jamie and Victoria Strehlen)

2012 Family category winner — Landing 46A, left: "Desulfovbrio Desulfuricans"
Photo © J. Quiroz

2010 Winners:

The scores were all very high this year, including the winning entry from the Elementary School category, which garnered a perfect score! Margaret Main writes: “The marks for the murals have never been so high. The winners in some categories had only one half-point difference. We are thrilled with the paintings and the tremendous support from the public and the artists.”

• Adult category — Landing 6B (Sherri Sharpe)
• Junior High School category — Landing 00B (A.E. Cross School: Jayleen Tobak, Kayla Crawford, Sammy Kyle)
• Elementary School category — Landing 5B: The Painters of Nature (Westmount Charter School: Rosalie Cormier, Sravya Kakumanu)
• Family category — Landing 7B: The Fab 4 (Zach Hambly-Britton, Lindsy Hambly-Britton, Allen Trites, Julie Trites)

2012 Senior High School category winner — Landing 12A, right
Photo © J. Quiroz

2009 Winners:

Picking the winners from among this year's 14 entries was no easy task! All the teams produced very worthy murals and after much deliberation, the judges ended up picking the following winners by only a very few points:

• Adult category — Landing 38A: Mr. Withers (Fortis: Thea McCaffery, Kevin Waterman, Matt Froese, Josie Soles)
• High School category — Landing 2B: Pack of Owls (Central Memorial High School: Sally Lee, Nancy Caughey, Erica Davis, Carly Barton)
• Junior High School category — Landing 46B: The Scorpions (Clarence Sansom Junior High School: Sarah Hogan, Ryley Schultz, Katianna Blackmore, Selina Kim)
• Elementary School category — Landing 33A: Wetlands (Unitarian Church of Calgary: Mahni Bruce, Lindsay Hill-Tout, Jeremy Hildebrand, Kiran Elias-Singh, Madisen Stringer)
• Family category — Landing 18B: The Farley Sisters (Laura Farley, Sarah Farley)
• Honourable mention / family category — Landing 48B: The Besters (Brent Bester, Luke Bester, Katie Bester, Shameer Jina)

2012 Junior High School category winner — Landing 26B, right: "Saving the Beaver Lands"
Photo © J. Quiroz

2008 Winners:

• Adult category — Landing 3: Banff Springs Snail (Helen Jull)
• Junior High School category — Landing 11: Black-Throated Green Warbler (R.T. Alderman Junior High School: Alexis Agourdis, Kimberly Rude, Miranda Maxwell Wilson, Emily Mangos)
• Family category — Landing 35: Team HCTM (Thea McCaffrey, Hannah Cawsey) [overall competition winners]
• High School category — Landing 29: Deep Like an Ocean (Caitlin Hamilton, Jessie Lincoln, Leigh Pierce, Justine Bratberg)

2012 Elementary School category winner — Landing 46A, right: "Devastation"
Photo © J. Quiroz

Each year individuals, families, and groups come to the stairwells of the Calgary Tower to use a 2 by 2.6 m (6’ tall and 8’ wide) canvas to express an appreciation for Alberta's wilderness and wildlife. The murals are a stunning testament to the value of wilderness by a wide range of Albertans. This gallery is a wonderful legacy for the City of Calgary.

Prizes

• This year's prizes are fantastic prize baskets from the Calgary Tower!

While the stairway is not usually open to the public, the masterpieces can be viewed at this year's Climb and Run for Wilderness.

Thank you to the Calgary Tower for their generous support of the Mural Painting Competition, Higher Ground Cafe for refreshments and to our art and mural advisors and judges, Barry Marks, Connie Jager and Kerry Warner. Our outstanding Mural Painting Competition coordinator is Margaret Main, tireless AWA volunteer. We also thank the participants and all our volunteers for making this annual competition such a great success!

You may click on any of the images on this page to see the murals in more detail. More mural photos can also be found in the photo gallery.