Antonia Tannert Von Baer read her essay at the Prince George Legion earlier today

By Tommy Osborne

National contest winner

Prince George student wins huge National contest

Apr 20, 2024 | 4:08 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – 18 year old Westside Academy student Antonia Tannert Von Baer is this year’s Royal Canadian Legion National Youth Remembrance Contest. Among tens of thousands of submissions featuring essays, poems, artwork, and more, her essay titled “A Day for Reflection on the Past, Present, and Future” has been selected as the national contest winner.

“I was awestruck, I was like ‘wow, this is amazing.’ It’s so special because so many people write an essay or a poem, and then to win that nationally, to see the recognition for the work and effort I put into that essay, it’s really amazing,” she said.

As the country’s winner, her essay will be displayed in the National War Museum for one year, and she will also represent all of Canada’s youth at the National Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa next Remembrance Day. Her essay focused on reflection and uncertainty; while Remembrance Day is a day to pay homage “to the lives lost in the crucible of war,” her essay also spoke on how its a day of introspection and trying to make sense of a complicated world.

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“In recent years, the news has been dominated by headlines of conflicts in places like Ukraine, Gaza and beyond. I find myself questioning how successful we are in learning from our mistakes and moving forward. I know that I’m not an expert in these conflicts and I don’t fully understand why everything is happening. But to me, it feels like we are stuck in a cycle of violence. It feels as though strife, hatred and violence persist in our world and uncertainty looms over us,” part of her essay reads.

Even personally, she feels uncertain about where she wants to go in life and what her role in this world is, but the essay then focuses on the importance of introspection.

“I was reflecting on my own life and then looking at the world around me and realizing so much is uncertain and thinking ‘how can I make a difference?’ And so much of that is just moving forward with love, kindness to everyone, like really just trying to work for the better of the community,” she said.

On both a personal and communal level her essay demonstrates not only a deep respect for the veterans who gave their lives for our country and those who continue to fight, but also the importance of learning from these conflicts to try and prevent further tragedy. The Prince George Legion says it’s incredibly proud that one of our very own community members wrote an essay worthy of being selected as the Nation’s best.

“I think the deep understanding she had and the caring and thought that she’s put into this, she really just seems to embody it (Remembrance Day),” said Sandra Twizell, Chairperson of Legion #43 Remembrance Day Literary Contest.

While Antonia is both nervous and excited about representing Canada’s youth next Remembrance day in Ottawa, she says it is a fantastic opportunity and she feels honoured that she’s been selected among such a large pool of submissions.

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