G’Nequa Simon of the Jennings Secondary School has been named winner of the Department of the Blue Economy’s logo design competition.

The contest was held over a four-month period starting last December.

At a ceremony held yesterday at the Department of Environment, students and teachers at the Jennings Secondary School received accolades from officials from the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Social Transformation and the Environment, and the Ministry of Education.

The school submitted 11 different logo designs for the competition, of which G’Nequa’s design was chosen by the judging panel.

“I feel good, I didn’t expect [to come first] because I thought I did something simple, but I am honestly happy,” Simon said.

She explained that she loves drawing and writing and took inspiration for her design from different images from the internet, transforming what she found into a unique logo that the judges loved.

“The advice I would give to anybody who wants to be in a competition is don’t be afraid, don’t doubt yourself and just try,” Simon added.

She received a plaque to commemorate the moment, alongside a tablet donated by Ann Louise Hill, Project Development Officer at the Department of the Blue Economy, gift certificates from Paper Clips and Cutie’s Restaurant, and a movie pass from Caribbean Cinemas.

First runner-up was Nyeesha Nicholas who received a plaque, a tablet, gift certificates from Paper Clips and Lilac Scents, and a movie pass.

Second runner-up Toby Chiddick also received a plaque, a watch, gift certificates and a movie pass.

Other participants included Chiquira Merrick, Franklin Harasme, Jayquan Lincoln, Joanna Peña, Okerry Murray, Jahkeen Burnette, Dejorn Thomas and Angel Sutton.

Principal of the Jennings Secondary School, Rosalind Beazer, congratulated her students and thanked the Head of her Art Department, Cynthia Baptiste, and Visual Arts Teacher Norman Massiah for their work showcasing the talents of the youth.

“Everybody is talented because everybody who is human has something to express and our students with Mr Messiah’s help were able to unearth some talent and it was very pleasing to hear that it was difficult [for the judges in] making a final decision,” Beazer said.

“I want to commend our students for their efforts and hopefully this is start of some direction of your life going forward,” she added.

Project Development Officer Ann Louise Hill remarked that “As a young, developing and growing department, we’re currently in the process of laying our foundation….and one key aspect of the whole process is our logo that represents or identifies us.

“Moreover, one of our main goals is including the nation’s youth in activities as much as possible, as it would help raise awareness about the importance of the green economy and the ocean in general,” Louise Hill said.