2024 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

For over 150 years, Canada has been printing its own currency, yet not once has an Indigenous woman been featured on it. This absence is a glaring reminder of the systemic marginalization and erasure that Indigenous women have faced throughout history. The fact that so many accomplished Indigenous women have lived on this land but have not been deemed worthy enough to be featured on Canadian currency is a testament to the ongoing discrimination and disregard for Indigenous voices and perspectives.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada was committed to altering this narrative and, on a larger scale, challenging the media's tendency to exclusively focus on tragic Indigenous stories. They planned to achieve this by introducing inspiring Indigenous role models for the upcoming generation of Indigenous youth to admire.

The faces on a country’s currency are a tangible reflection of its identity, yet in Canada, despite printing money for over 150 years, an Indigenous woman has never been featured.

As discussions about who would replace Queen Elizabeth II on the $20 bill became a talking point in Canada, it came as no surprise that Indigenous women were once again left out.

NWAC saw this as a critical cultural moment to finally get these women the recognition and representation they rightfully deserve. So, they invited underrepresented female Indigenous artists to reimagine the $20 bill with their female Indigenous heroes.

The resulting collection of redesigned bills was launched as a virtual gallery, where anyone could engage with the campaign by purchasing a print of the artwork for $20, with 100% of sales going back to the artists. It was also exhibited in physical form at art and design festivals in Canada, and due to its popularity, became a travelling exhibition, reaching museums, schools, and galleries.

To expand its reach, they used the artwork to launch a national outdoor and print campaign, encouraging all Canadians to take part in this historic initiative. QR codes at every touchpoint engaged people to visit the virtual gallery where they could sign a petition that was used by NWAC to lobby MPs and government organizations.

Less than a month after their campaign launched, the Native Women’s Association of Canada was contacted by the Royal Canadian Mint and the Bank of Canada, and for the first time in Canadian history, will be consulting on Indigenous representation on forthcoming Canadian currency.

In total, the campaign has been covered by over 512 unique publications and reached 787 million people, shining a spotlight on Indigenous art and the stories of the women that were featured. Through their ecommerce platform they sold over 550 prints of the bills, raising over $12,000 for their contributing Indigenous artists. More than 35,000 Canadians (*53,000+ as of Oct 5, 2023) have signed their petition in support of this change. The collection is next set to appear at the Art Gallery of Ontario in late 2023.

Credits

Alexandra Beals, Artist
Mando Littlechild, Artist
Anna Heffernan, Artist
Jennifer Faria, Artist
Tracey Metallic, Artist
Adrienne Assinewai, Artist
Annette Sullivan, Artist
Claire Shannon-Akiwenzie, Artist
Laura Deiter, Artist
Jasmine Chowace (Caffyn), Artist
Pam Cailloux, Artist

Graham Lang, Chief Creative Officer, TAXI
Frank Macera, Executive Creative Director, TAXI
Dylan Thompson, Senior Copywriter, TAXI
Carlos Veras, Senior Art Director, TAXI
Sam Bullis, Design Lead, TAXI
Jennifer Yoon, Senior Designer, TAXI

Emma Toth, President, TAXI
Tyler Harris, Director of Client Services, TAXI
Samantha Glasbey, Account Director, TAXI
Sara Thibeau, Account Supervisor, TAXI

David Synyard, Strategy Director, TAXI
Liam Norris, Senior Strategist, TAXI

Heather Hyland, Senior Producer, TAXI
Henry Eugenio, Integrated Studio Team Lead, TAXI
Alexandra Beals, Video Editor, TAXI
Andrew O’Driscoll, Digital Illustrator and Retoucher, TAXI
Dave Kinsella, Production Designer, TAXI
Maxime Boivin, Integrated Studio Director, TAXI
Chloee Desjardins, French Proofreader and Translator, TAXI

Aaron Nilsen, PR and Communications Lead, TAXI

Lynne Groulx, CEO, Native Women's Association of Canada
Irene Goodwin, Director, Evidence in Action, Native Women's Association of Canada
Joan Weinman, Chief Communications Strategist, Native Women's Association of Canada
Nada Al Rifai, Director of Communications, Native Women's Association of Canada