Honourable Mention\r\n
Photographer bio: Violet Bittern (Ojibwe Nation) hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and first came to Vancouver in 1996. Now a Downtown Eastside resident, she raised her two boys in this community. \u201CThey\u2019re all grown up now,\u201D says Violet. In her spare time, she\u2019s taken cooking classes and violence prevention training. She\u2019s also studied science and humanities through a free program that UBC offers to Downtown Eastside residents."/>
First Place and DTES Community Choice Award (cover of 2015 calendar)
Sonia Samuels was born and raised in Haida Gwaii before moving to Vancouver 36 \r\nyears ago. She works at the front desk of the Hotel Canada, a single room occupancy \r\nhotel run by Atira Property Management. Sonia is a grandmother who enjoys \r\nworking and lending a hand when needed. In her spare time, she likes to go for long \r\nwalks and visit family. A past Hope in Shadows participant, Sonia won Honourable Mention in the 2005 photo contest."/>
Honourable Mention\r\n
Rosanne Gervais\r\nis originally from Red Lake, Ontario, and moved to Vancouver for \r\nthe first time when she was a child. M\u00E9tis and two-\u00ADspirited, Rosanne has been \r\ninvolved in social justice movements in Vancouver and San Francisco. She enjoys \r\nsinging, dancing, pottery, and community arts. She has also performed comedy with \r\nStand Up for Mental Health."/>
Julie Rogers Memorial Award for Best Portrait\r\n
Priscillia Tait (Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en Nation) is a devoted mother, artist, and active community\r\nmember. She sits on the board of the Carnegie Community Centre and the Downtown\r\nEastside Women\u2019s Centre.\r\nShe remembers falling in love with the community during the\r\nPowell Street Festival. At the\r\ntime, she and her young son were homeless.\r\n\u201CAfter finding\r\nhousing, I wanted to give my services back to the Downtown Eastside,\u201D she says."/>
Honourable Mention\r\n
A Hope in Shadows and Megaphone vendor, Peter Thompson can often be found \r\nselling the calendar and magazine at the corner of Robson and Howe. He regularly \r\nwrites for Megaphone and has had six winning Hope in Shadows photos since 2008. \r\nPeter enjoys fishing and camping by the river in his hometown, Boston Bar. \u201CIt\u2019s nice \r\nup there, especially on a clear \r\nnight,\u201D he says.\u201C[There\u2019s] millions of stars that we \r\nseldom get to see down here.\""/>