And the winner is... Saskatchewan: Land of Living Skies!
Becky Pritchard of Tisdale created the winning slogan, which was recently [in 1997] chosen the grand prize winner of Tourism Saskatchewan’s licence plate slogan contest.
“It seemed appropriate to me that Saskatchewan should be known for its beautiful skies,” said Pritchard. “The stars seem so much brighter here. Our cloud formations and northern lights are fantastic, not to mention our colourful sunrises and sunsets. Saskatchewan’s skies are always different, always changing. No matter where you are in the province, no matter what time of day or what season, the sky is always alive.”
The Honourable Janice MacKinnon, Minister responsible for Economic and Co-operative Development and Tourism Saskatchewan Chair Jeremy Morgan unveiled the new licence plate slogan at Tourism Saskatchewan’s general meeting in Saskatoon recently.
“Our province is unique in asking its residents to suggest a slogan to appear on our vehicle licence plates, and I take pride in that distinction,” said MacKinnon. “The response to the contest, in terms of the number and quality of entries, was overwhelming, and attests to the pride Saskatchewan people feel in their home province.”
Land of Living Skies was chosen from among the 33,587 slogans that poured in from across Saskatchewan during a province-wide public contest launched by Tourism Saskatchewan and SGI on June 4. After reviewing all of the slogans and short listing their top choices, a six-member selection committee, composed of representatives from the tourism industry, the RCMP, the Provincial Government, SGI’s motor licence issuer force, SGI and Tourism Saskatchewan, voted Land of Living Skies the winner.
“The slogan Land of Living Skies captures the beauty and magic of Saskatchewan,” said Morgan. “It conjures up images of Saskatchewan’s glorious sunrises and sunsets, the vastness of the land and sky, spectacular Northern Lights and thunderstorms, fabulous cloud formations, and abundant bird populations that can be seen in the sky at any time of the year. It’s a phrase that can mean many different things to different people and I think that's one of the qualities that makes it so appealing.”
MacKinnon and Morgan presented Pritchard with her gift certificate for a $5,000 Saskatchewan vacation package, which will be co-ordinated by Tourism Saskatchewan, and a set of personalized licence plates bearing the new slogan donated by SGI.
“Land of Living Skies is a unique slogan that sets Saskatchewan apart from other Canadian provinces and territories.,” said Tourism Saskatchewan President Randy Williams. “It very effectively accomplishes the two goals that we envisioned for this slogan. First, in concert with our marketing efforts, it will establish a tangible and memorable image of Saskatchewan in the minds of potential tourists. Second, it will evoke the fabulous beauty of Saskatchewan that all of the province’s residents can take pride in and enjoy.”
Out of the entries weaved in the contest, 13,081 were duplicates, while 19,786 were unique entries. Popular slogan subjects included the landscape, nature, sky, sun, prairie, wheat, water and the RCMP, while many touched on the friendliness. warmth and hospitality of Saskatchewan people. Land of Living Skies will begin appearing on new licence plates issued in the spring of 1998.
