The Lake Country Street Banner Contest has concluded with over 130 entries submitted. The selected designs will be installed on street banners in late August.
Many thanks to all the fantastic artists who entered the contest. You are part of what makes Lake Country such a great place to call home!
Contest winners
Congratulations to the winning artists of the submissions below - these will be produced and displayed proudly on street banners in Lake Country's Town Centre.
The list below is in no particular order. Please click the image to see a larger view of the artwork.
Image  | Artwork title: Lookout HDR, |
Image  | Artwork title: Kaloya Park Waterlilies Artist: Margaret Kyle Artist Statement: My husband and I love to kayak and viewed these lilies in Kaloya Park which is a beautiful place to explore in Lake Country. |
Image  | Artwork title: Spring Arrowleaf Artist: Danielle Erickson Artist Statement: Arrowleaf Balsam Root blanket the slopes in Lake Country every spring. Their beautiful yellow flowers are a symbol of hope and renewal. Each one is like an individual burst of sunshine, waking me up after the long grey months of winter. The arrowleaf benefit the bees as well. Our vital pollinators highlight the delicate balance of nature. |
Image  | Artwork title: Adrift Artist: Geoff Nagel Artist Statement: A boat drifts on still deep waters. Profound waters that entice you to explore their mysterious depths. Go ahead - jump in. After all.. we're in Lake Country. |
Image  | Artwork title: Flipping Artist: Barb Ferguson Artist Statement: This is an original painting of what almost every kid loves to do in the Okanagan - flip off the dock or pier. I believe this banner would bring a smile to anyone's face because the colours are pure summer and the subject is so nostalgic. |
Image  | Artwork title: Beyond the Rim Artist: Emily van der Gulik Artist Statement: I am a local Lake Country 14 year old artist and Fine Arts student of Marlene McPherson. I have an interest in many forms of art including photography. I love riding my bike in our community; there are many great trails to ride with beautiful views to enjoy. I thought this perspective ties that all together with capturing this photo in the new bike park in Lake Country. |
Image  | Artwork title: Soaring Ospreys Artist: Zaph Vouladakis Artist Statement: This artwork depicts the ospreys living here in Lake Country. Watching the ospreys as I drive by their nest is one of my favourite parts of the day. I feel they are as much a part of Lake Country as the people living here. |
Image  | Artwork title: Red-Eyed Shadow Artist: Tania Stepanets Artist Statement: Captured mid-dive, the loons form slips silently into the green depths-its red eye fixed, its body streamlined, vanishing into the still world below the surface. This piece is inspired by the tranquil lakes of Lake Country. Here becomes stillness and instinct becomes grace - a quiet reminder of the precision and mystery found within our local ecosystems. |
Image  | Artwork title: Gatzke's Grandeur Artist: Carly Slater Artist Statement: This image was captured a few autumns algo on a fall colour photography field trip I hosted for our Photography Club members at Gatzke's Orchard. |
Image  | Artwork title: Okanagan Spring Artist: Margaret Kyle Artist Statement: A view from Jack Seaton Park in Lake Country that captures the Spring Arrowleaf Balsam Root sunflowers amongst the Ponderosa pines with Okanagan Lake and mountains beyond. Definitely part of being rooted in Lake Country. |
Image  | Artwork title: Osprey's Descent Artist: Tania Stepanets Artist Statement: Inspired by the natural beauty and wildlife of Lake Country, British Columbia, "Osprey's Descent" captures the dramatic moment an osprey - a familiar presence across the region's lakes - dives with precision and intent. The symmetrical composition reflects the balance of predator and prey, sky and water, wild instinct and serene environment. Rooted in the rich biodiversity of the Okanagan Valley, this work invites viewers to reflect on the hidden intensity of nature that thrives just beyond our everyday view. |
Image  | Artwork title: Lake Stories Artwork: Kelly Swallow Artist Statement: This painting is inspired by a photo I took while walking along a path on Okanagan Lake. How lucky is this community to have such a beautiful lake just minutes away. These old pillars coming up out of the lake are a reminder of the history this lake holds. If it could talk I think there would be some amazing "Lake stories" |
Image  | Artwork title: Lakestone Sunset Artist: Geoff Nagel Artist Statement: On a still cold winters evening, the sun has set on Lakestone Mountain high above Lake Okanagan. The sun's last gasp before night falls bathes the sky and lake with an orange glow. |
Image  | Artwork title: September Swim Artist: Shae Fraser Artist Statement: This picture was inspired by one of my favourite recent lake memories (I've lived here 20 years so there is a LOT of them). It was the beginning of September, all the tourists had headed home and people were back in school. No one else had been swimming, so all the fish were getting brave and staying near the shore. They surrounded me totally without fear and it felt like being chosen as one of the shoal. There was no one else there but the minnows, the crows in the pines and I. September has become my favourite month to swim. When thinking about the core aspects of our community, you can't take the lake out of Lake Country. |
Image  | Artwork title: Okanagan Switchbacks Artist: Geoff Nagel Artist Statement: Okanagan Centre Road West descends switchbacks on the slopes of Lake Okanagan on it's way to the shore. While the distant landscape rests in shadows from gathering clouds, the late afternoon sun basks this section of Lake Country casting long shadows across the road. |
Image  | Artwork title: In the Orchard Artist: Margaret Kyle Artist Statement: Orchards are a big part of the Lake Country environment and our economy. This one is a cherry orchard. The back lighting throws the shadows of the trees into the foreground. |
Image  | Artwork title: Common Paintbrush Buttercup Artist: Moozhan Ahmadzadegan Artist Statement: I am a local artist and attempt to create work that engages themes of place and identity. This digital artwork is a stylized depiction of the Buttercup and Common Paintbrush flora, plants native to the Okanagan. |
Image  | Artwork title: Beach Stones Artist: Emmah Farrell Artist Statement: Beach Stones is inspired by my cherished memories of Lake Country during my time living in Kelowna. When I moved to the Okanagan in 2018, I first stayed in Lake Country, and one of the earliest places I visited with my family was a rocky beach along the lake. The abundance of stones scattered across the shoreline left a lasting impression on me. To this day, those beach stones remain a powerful symbol of my connection to the landscape, evoking the many peaceful moments I spent by the water throughout my years in the Okanagan. I see the stones as a uniquely defining feature of the Lake Country shoreline — one that I believe to be familiar to many who have spent time by the lake. |
Image  | Artwork title: Lakeside View Artist: Arthur Wertlen Artist Statement: This is an illustration of a photo taken in Lake Country by my mom. |
Image  | Artwork title: Beasley Tree Artist: George Wertlen Artist Statement: All my banner designs are centered around the nature and animals of Lake Country. This one is a somewhat abstracted illustration of one of the trees in Beasley Park, my favourite tree as it’s the best one for climbing. |