Announcing the Winners of the 2025 DesCan Vancouver Jim Rimmer Scholarship Awards
The Jim Rimmer Scholarships have been awarded since 2009 to student projects (or one currently in progress) for a community program, a non-profit organization, or an environmental or social cause. Students who are currently enrolled, or have graduated within the last year from a design program in BC are eligible. Scholarships are awarded on the strength of the solution, how effectively it communicates a message, benefits a community, affects action and promotes change. The two $1,000 scholarships are funded by Hemlock Printers, longtime supporters of DesCan Vancouver and the BC design community.
This year’s recipients were announced November 20, 2025 at LaSalle College Vancouver.
The guest speaker for the evening was local type designer and educator Matt Heximer.
The judges this year were:
Yuka Sasagawa CDP
Rod Roodenburg CDP
Andrew Samuel, CDP
Jeff Harrison CDP
and Jessica Chan, Hemlock Printers.
Here are the Winners and Honourable Mentions for 2025:
Winner (team)
Jerry Kambashi and Louis Yau, Capilano University (IDEA School of Design)
Project Title: Hope Theatre
Instructors: Elyssa Schmid, Chelsea Bell Eady, Shayne Letain and Jai Djwa
About the project:
Hope Theatre is a social enterprise concept that explores how design can amplify social impact. The project envisions a theatre company that provides meaningful employment and creative empowerment for formerly incarcerated women, using performance and storytelling as a platform for rebuilding confidence, and opening pathways back into community. Through collaborative workshops, participants build workplace skills, and take on paid creative roles, instilling hope and a path back to stable employment.
The resulting brand identity positions Hope Theatre as more than a performance company; it’s a platform for dialogue, creativity, and change. The logo container is taken from the comma in our custom typeface, transforming into a speech bubble that implies there’s more to the story to be told. The resulting mark works as a design system that can adapt across multiple applications.
Winner
Rowena Huang, Wilson School of Design
Project Title: Out of Sight
Instructor: John Belisle
About the project:
Between 1881 to 1885, over 17,000 Chinese men arrived in Canada to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. During that time, they were utilized to build the most dangerous areas of the track for nearly half of the amount white workers were being paid. It is approximated that around 700 of these men were killed, largely due to their unsafe work conditions. Following the completion of the railway, many wanted to settle and bring their families, only to be met with the Chinese Exclusion Act that explicitly restricted immigration based on race.
“Out of Sight” is an exhibition that will be displayed at the Museum of Vancouver. Showcasing the raw truth of Chinese railroad workers in the 1800s, the exhibition illustrates the harsh, unfair, and life-threatening situations these men faced daily. It examines the juxtapositions between a country exploiting Chinese workers for a nation-binding railway line and the hateful discrimination that came before, during, and after.
Honourable Mention
Julianna Mayan, KPU Wilson School of Design
Project Title: Waybeam
Instructor: John Belisle
About the project:
Waybeam was created out of a deep admiration for BC Search and Rescue. BC Search and Rescue is an organization that plays a vital role in wilderness safety across British Columbia. Each year, over 1,700 people are lost or injured in the backcountry. BC Search and Rescue’s 3,400 trained volunteers respond to these incidents, donating hundreds of thousands of hours annually, often putting themselves at risk to make sure everyone gets home safe.
Beyond the packaging for the flashlight, this project includes an educational booklet about BC Search and Rescue’s mission. This project is about more than a flashlight, it is made to educate and inspire responsibility. The more people understand what BC Search and Rescue does and what it takes to stay safe in the wilderness means fewer rescues may be needed.
Honourable Mention
Cody Garcia, KPU Wilson School of Design
Project Title: Exposé Films
Instructor: John Belisle
About the project:
Expose Films is a Canadian production company dedicated to amplifying BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) filmmakers and reshaping the cinematic landscape through diverse storytelling.
The visual identity embraces imperfection and the craft of independent filmmaking. Visual elements are intentionally dithered, drawn from the organic textures and motion of film. Clear typography, considered grids, and photographic treatments carry through with consistency while leaving room for voice and experimentation.
Honourable Mention
Hannah Lord, University of the Fraser Valley
Project Title: Woven in Colour
Instructor: Eric Lee
About the project:
Woven in Colour is an interactive editorial project exploring how language shapes our perception of colour — and, by extension, the world. Grounded in linguistic relativity, it emphasizes the urgency of language preservation and cultural understanding through research-driven, print-based design. By inviting readers to engage physically through paper weaving, the project turns learning into a tactile, cross-cultural experience.
Honourable Mention (team)
Crescille Buyuccan & Charis Catotocan, Capilano University (IDEA School of Design)
Project Title: Through &Through
Instructor: Thomas Duguid
About the project:
Through & Through is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Filipino overseas parents who selflessly leave their homes to provide for their families back in the Philippines. These individuals embody sacrifice, resilience, and love, yet too often, their emotional and personal needs are left unseen. While their contributions sustain countless households and communities, the reality of their experience is one of distance, loneliness, and quiet endurance.
The problem lies not only in economic hardship but in the emotional toll of separation. Filipino overseas workers often face these challenges alone, navigating new environments while striving to maintain connections across oceans. Through & through seeks to address this by removing the barriers that prevent these individuals from focusing on their own wellbeing.
Honourable Mention
Jessica Araiza Viramontes, KPU Wilson School of
Project title: Every Mother Deserves Care
Instructor: Michael Cober CDP
About the project:
Racialized populations can disproportionately experience negative health outcomes. Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications when compared to white women. This results from being labelled, neglected, and receiving delayed attention, which negatively impacts the health of the mother and child and exacerbates health inequities. ‘Every Mother Deserves Care’ is a Learning Hub course committed to advocacy work amongst healthcare workers on the racial inequities within the maternal and perinatal healthcare system. The course includes modules, articles, and stories from Black mothers to educate on related subjects of health equity, including social and racial theories.
Watch for the call for entries for the 2026 Jim Rimmer scholarships this fall.