“We do creative, unique projects appealing to a specific personality type,” says Battistella’s sales and marketing manager, Glen Deibert. That “personality type” is an artistic and creative one, which inspired the photo contest to come to fruition.

The contest became a bit of a vehicle for Battistella to launch its name and condo projects out to the general public. Deibert says they chose a photography competition for its projected appeal to the type of people characteristically interested in their condos.

“It was a very successful contest,” says Deibert, adding they received hundreds of entries and an increase in traffic through their show suites and word-of-mouth advertising with the promotion.

Grand prize winner, Jenny Elliot, has yet to choose her prize as she’s facing a possible job transfer overseas explains Deibert, so Battistella is still awaiting her prize decision.

Due to a late entry for a weekly prize, Elliot’s picture actually placed second for that week, but after the judges reviewed the winning photos, they awarded her image the overall contest winner.

Four weekly winners were chosen based on public online votes as well as the ranking order Battistella sponsors and/or partner judges provided. Weekly winners received a four-month pass for the Talisman Centre, while the overall contest winner is still mulling over a choice of $20,000 off a condo purchase, a condo for a year, or a Smart Car as her prize.

The Smart Car prize option was automatic for the developer to offer, Deibert says, because Battistella is one of many sponsors of the Calgary Alterative Transportation Co-operative (CATCO) program with one Smart Car already donated, and another one in the works.

Each contest entry was to include a description of what “colour” it depicts with some relevance to the photo supplied. Elliot’s caption reads: “I am white because with all the beauty, tragedy and absurdity of life I try to emerge every morning as a blank canvas, ready to be painted by whatever colours the world offers me each day.”

Elliot, who shot the photo of a friend of her boyfriend’s from college, says photography is one of her many passions. "I do everything from photography to painting–doing floral design and being a chef for a living leaves me lots of creativity for the soul.”

Notable weekly winners included Brian deHaan’s Stampeders fan photo and caption stating, “I am Red because the spirit of Calgary is Red! The Stampeders are Red!” Julie Hill also got a weekly prize for her snap of a pregnant tummy and caption, “I am Pink because I’m tickled pink with love and happiness." Meanwhile, Marcus Zahorulko’s cat-swimming photo and caption, “I am white because it is the colour of purity. Every one can be a dog,” took a top weekly prize, while Marko Stavric’s sunrise and caption, “I am the colour of the sunrise because it’s the most beautiful time of day!” was also selected as a weekly winner.



For more information or to Battistella’s current and future condo projects or to view photo contest winners, visit http://www.battistella.ca. For more information about car-sharing and CATCO, visit http://www.carpool.ca or http://www.calgarycarshare.ca