Scarlett Side, Sophia Pan, and Andy Poystila win 2024 Applied Arts Award for Game Design & Development, Salazar Student Award & RGD Award Honourable Mention with “The Road Back Home”
Congratulations to Scarlett Side, Sophia Pan, and Andy Poystila (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) for winning the 2024 Applied Arts Award for Game Design & Development - Single, DesCan Vancouver Salazar Student Award, and RGD Award for Social Good Design Honourable Mention with “The Road Back Home.”
The game The Road Back Home explores the story of Tsxwixw, a Secwépemc child forced into foster care, addressing Indigenous cultural erasure and systemic discrimination in Canada. Developed with Indigenous consultation and art, the retro-style game targets youth (14-35) to raise awareness and inspire action for culturally appropriate solutions.
Winners: Scarlett Side, Sophia Pan, Andrew Poystila
Project: The Road Back Home
School: IDEA School of Design
Instructors: Elyssa Schmid, Bracken Corlett
Artistic Contributor: Anthony Laliberte
Project Overview
Leaving home is never easy, but what happens when you are taken away from home without choice or reason? Meet Tsxwixw, a Secwépemc child who had lived with their Kye7e for their entire 11 years of life. When they are suddenly taken into a foster home far away from home, they must learn about discovering their identity away from their community, withstand the harsh reality of the world, and find the road back home.
Gameplay Demo Trailer
From their submission
Indigenous children are often taken from their homes and placed in culturally inappropriate solutions which furthers the erasure of Indigenous culture instead of addressing the route of the problem and breaking the cycle.
We have chosen to address this cause with the medium of a video game because it can appropriately convey a complex emotional yet informative story while keeping our target audience highly engaged with the interactive format.
We consulted Indigenous people on our story to ensure it is appropriate and accurate, and collaborated with an Indigenous artist to contribute art. Our target audience is youth and young adults 14-35 who care about social justice and specifically Canadian social issues. Our medium will successfully reach our target market because young adults engage with the nostalgia of a retro video game, and teenagers just like games with those particular retro-indie elements.
Through our medium, We aim to raise awareness regarding systematic discrimination of Canadian child welfare policies which overrepresent Indigenous families. We want to turn focus to some calls to action that could be more prevalent within the general Canadian public’s knowledge. We hope to educate and inspire a generation of young people who are aware of Indigenous issues, with continued reference and passion can work towards creating sustainable, Indigenous-focused, and culturally appropriate solutions (and also put pressure on the government) for the rights of present and future Indigenous families.
The Artists
“It was an honour being recognized by DesCan; winning this award feels like taking my first steps into the professional design world. I am really lucky to have worked with such talented peers to create an award-worthy project!”
“Thank you to my teammates, our amazing collaborators, and mentors who helped us with this project. I sincerely hope that we work harder as a community to uplift each other and raise awareness into the realities of many Indigenous lives.”
“Receiving this award with my team is an honour as a designer committed to changing perspectives and addressing inadequate systems. Being recognized for this project highlights the ongoing need for support and justice for Indigenous youth.”
About Applied Arts Media
For over 30 years, Applied Arts Media has been the go-to destination for creative advice, insight and inspiration. The Applied Arts Awards celebrate innovative creativity, and capture the current visualarts landscape in Canada and beyond.
About The Applied Arts Awards
Since 1992, the Applied Arts Awards have been an internationally recognized standard for creative excellence. We are the only Canadian competition that recognizes the work of both professionals and students across the visual communications spectrum - covering everyone from image-makers to advertising creatives, marketing gurus to graphic designers.
About DesCan Vancouver Salazar Student Awards
The Salazar Awards are presented annually by DesCan Vancouver and founding sponsor MET Fine Printers to talented and inspiring DesCan student members currently enrolled in design programs in BC.
Established in 1985 by DesCan Vancouver (formerly GDC BC), the award was created in honour of Enrique Salazar. Mr. Salazar was one of the founding members of GDC BC and served as its national representative for two years. He was a partner in Salazar Graphics, and taught graphic design at Capilano College until his death in June of 1985. Students receive awards in four categories: Branding, Print, Interactive/UX/UI, and Video/Motion. Supported by MET Fine Printers, $500 is awarded to the top student in each category.
About The RGD
Through the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (the RGD), Canadian designers exchange ideas, educate and inspire, set professional standards and build a strong, supportive community dedicated to advocating for the value of design.
Representing over 4,100 design professionals, including firm owners, freelancers, managers, educators and students, the RGD was created in 1996 by an Act of the Ontario Legislature (Bill Pr 56) and is the only graphic design association in North America to have this type of legislation.
The Certified RGD designation is a signal of quality and competence to the profession, public and government. Successful candidates have met a rigorous set of standards that includes documented levels of relevant, professional education and experience as well as competence in the areas of business, design principles, research, accessible design and ethics demonstrated through the successful completion of the RGD’s certification process.
Our vision is for a graphic design profession that is broadly valued for its contribution to life, commerce and society.
About IDEA School of Design at Capilano University
IDEA School of Design offers two career-oriented programs for the next generation of creative professionals.
The Bachelor Of Design In Visual Communication is a four-year undergraduate degree with a variety of career outcomes in the creative field. Students can specialize in branding, Illustration or interactive design in upper years.
The Interaction Design Diploma is a two-year program with career outcomes in the field of digital product design and user experience. The focus is on creativity, design thinking, and problem-solving.
For more on Scarlett Side, Sophia Pan, and Andy Poystila
Scarlett Insta: @_.scart._
Sophia Insta: @suwreal
Andy Insta: @percifax
