2026 Winner

Many younger Canadians have grown up seeing Pride as a celebration, not a protest, creating a false sense that anti-2SLGBTQI discrimination is a thing of the past. “Hate Isn’t History. It’s Happening” confronted this complacency by using press-style executions to bring past and present together. The work recreated photojournalistic scenes inspired by real headlines from the 1950s, ’70s and ’80s, then overlaid them with present-day examples of hate drawn from social media, creating a side-by-side comparison that made the continuity impossible to ignore. Supported by social extensions and a community forum that brought together activists from different generations to share lived experiences, each element directed audiences to Egale’s online tools for education, safety and advocacy. The campaign drove more than a 60% increase in traffic to these resources, attracted over 14,000 engaged visitors and coincided with a $54.6 million federal funding commitment to support 2SLGBTQI communities and Pride security.

Credits

AGENCY:
Graham Lang, CCO, VML Canada
Allen Kwong, Executive Creative Director, VML Canada
Mike Richardson, Creative Director, VML Canada
Logan Franklin, Art Director & Designer, Canada
Zachary Richman, Copywriter, VML Canada
Sucheta Shankar, Copywriter, VML Canada
Saskia Harper, Copywriter, VML Canada
David Nunez, Art Director, VML Canada
Rick Brown, Creative Director, VML Canada
Chloee Desjardins, Copywriter, VML Canada
Steve Emmens, Head of Production, VML Canada
Erin Feldman, Senior Integrated Producer, VML Canada
Sam Glasbey, Account Director, VML Canada
Michal Fetsum, Senior Strategist, VML Canada
Christine Maw, Chief Strategy Officer, VML Canada
Patrick Conway, Director, Production & Studio, VML Canada
Sherri O’Donnell, Director, Production & Studio, VML Canada
Andrew O’Driscoll, Retoucher, VML Canada
Andy Smits, Retoucher, VML Canada
Kelly Lamorie, Proofreader, VML Canada

CLIENTS:
Jennifer Boyce, Director, Communications & Marketing, Egale Canada

PRODUCTION:
James Michael Chaing, Director + DOP, Scouts Honour
Thomas Dagg, Director, Director + DOP, Scouts Honour
Tricia Zaremba, Director, Scouts Honour
Simon Dragland, Executive Producer, Scouts Honour
Rita Popielak, Executive Producer, Scouts Honour
Jordan Allen, Editor, School Editing
Mackenzie Goodwin, Executive Producer, School Editing
Lily Henry, Colourist, Alterego Post
Darren Achim, Senior Flame Artist, Alterego Post
Melany McEachern, VFX Assistant, Alterego Post
Sam Omand, Post Production Assistant, Alterego Post
Hilda Pereira, Executive Producer, Alterego Post
Kelly McClusky, Executive Producer, Grayson Music
Lowell Sostomi, Audio Director, Grayson Music
River Radcliffe, Engineer, Grayson Music