A woman in a maroon graduation cap and gown and a gold sash sits in her wheelchair.

Winners! Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day 2023

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Today, March 25, is the federally recognized Cerebral Palsy (CP) Awareness Day! We are excited to announce the winners for our inaugural CP Awareness Month photo contest. In February, we began accepting submissions in three categories that we thought were important to represent our community: kids, teen & young adults, and adults over 25. Each of the following submissions were selected by being the top three photos in these categories in votes out of 13,383 counted:

First Prize Winners ($100 each) [Adults | Kids | Teens and Young Adults]

A woman with black hair and red and white striped sweater looks surprised as her boyfriend proposes

He Put A Ring On It!:
We got engaged after dating for three and a half years! I was completely taken by surprise.

Neighbourhood Stroll With Daddy:
Lyndon has moderate spastic quadriplegic CP and epilepsy. He uses a walking belt for safety measures as he can have a drop seizure at any time. He loves getting outside and walking!

A young adult sits in her wheelchair wearing a purple wig with a bright pink feather boa next to Halloween decorations.

Halloween Fun:
One day each year it’s fun to dress up in a fun bright outfit and sing out loud!

Second Prize Winners ($50 each) [Adults | Kids | Teens and Young Adults]

A woman in a bright orange shirt with glasses and long blond e hair smiles in her power wheelchair

Playing Power Soccer:
Proud to be a part of the Overdrive Power Soccer team!
Photo credit: Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital

A child with her hair drawn back in high pony tail paints green on a CP support ribbon.

Cerebral Palsy Support Painting:
Ava is a happy, driven 3 year old with spastic hemiplegia CP. In this photo she is sporting her favorite “Cerebral Palsy Warriors are Magical” t-shirt while painting a CP support ribbon.

A teen girl rides an all terrain track chair across a rocky trail.

Adventure Is Out There!!:
Brianna is always up for an adventure, especially when it involves an Action Trackchair!!

Third Prize Winners ($25 each) [Adults | Kids | Teens and Young Adults]

A woman with a light blue and red helmet gets strapped into an adaptive sled by guides.

Adaptive Snow Skiing
Loving the feel of the cold air as she goes skiing down the slope, feeling free!

A young boy smiles in a navy blue top with red and white stripes while sitting in front of an electric keyboard.

Gabriel Loves Making Music On His Keyboard:
When Gabriel is in his stander, he loves playing music on his keyboard.

A teen is strapped into an adaptive ski by instructors with a German Shepherd in the foreground.

This Is My Cerebral Palsy:
My name is Kaelyn and I have been shredding down the mountain for the past four years. Adapted Recreation has been a game changer for me (and my family) and of course, Shadow my service dog.

Congratulations to each of these photographers and subjects for their selection and their prizes of $100 for 1st place, $50 for 2nd place and $25 for 3rd place.

In addition to these winners, the staff and volunteers of the CP Research Network voted for best overall photograph in terms of what represented the CP Research Network’s values. The winner is:

A young woman in a maroon cap and gown with gold sash smiles while sitting in her wheelchair.

Graduation
I mastered it!

Congratulations to Karyn for the photo in her graduation cap and gown and for the $500 prize!

Thank you to EVERYONE that participated – submissions, shares and votes. We hope the sharing of pictures and our awareness banners helped you all create awareness for CP and celebrate our vibrant community! Wear your green proudly today!