A Keilor Downs student has won an award in a statewide competition, but she won’t be celebrating with a drink.
Jesse Theodosiou won $1000 for her entry in VicHealth competition Top Spin, which encourages young Victorians to take a closer look at tactics used to encourage people to drink alcohol.
Ms Theodosiou, 21, said she drew on personal experiences to convey her message.
“I just got thinking about my life and for every major life moment, it seems to be the norm that we just celebrate with a drink,” she said.
“The more turning points our lives bring, the more opportunities alcohol companies have to convince us of a drink to go with it. It’s impossible to think of a time that our celebrations didn’t involve the invitation of alcohol.
“The message I was trying to get across is that we don’t always have to have a drink to celebrate or to even have fun when we’re out.”
Ms Theodosiou’s entry was a mock mobile phone screen showing mock messages between friends, followed by calls for celebratory drinks.
While Ms Theodosiou was thrilled to win the award, she said the fact her message had hit the mark was just as rewarding.
“I’m really happy my design is something that engaged with people,” she said.
“The brief looks to target 18 to 25 year-olds, but I think it’s a message that can be taken in by everyone. Life moments don’t stop after 25.”
Ms Theodosiou beat strong competition to claim the award.
“I thought everyone had some really good points, so to be picked as a winner was really cool,” she said.
