The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is set to unleash the creativity of youth on Toronto during Caribbean Week in Canada which runs from 26-28 June, 2013. The CTO has announced an “Advertise the Caribbean” contest targeting youth up to the age of 21 from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

The “Advertise the Caribbean” contest challenges youth to create an original poster advertisement for any of the over 30 CTO member countries. It is open to students in the GTA in three categories: Junior Category (ages 12 or under); Middle Category (ages 13-18); and Senior Category( ages 19-21).

“We believe that the youth are quite ingenious and creative and this contest allows them the opportunity to unleash their creativity by generating some of the most compelling reasons for Canadians to visit the Caribbean,” said Sylma Brown, the director of CTO-USA Inc, the CTO’s New York office which organizes Caribbean Week in Canada.

The contest is organized by young Caribbean Diaspora professionals in Toronto, spearheaded by Sheldon ‘Solitair’ Pitt, a multitalented, two-time Juno Award nominated Canadian producer and artist. Pitt, who is of Grenadian descent, also mentors youth who are interested in the arts, through music workshops and public speaking.

The best advertisements will be revealed at the CTO Diaspora Forum in Toronto on 26 June. The winner receives tickets for two to a Caribbean destination.

Caribbean Week in Toronto is a celebration of the sights, sounds, colours, culture and unique holiday attributes of the Caribbean. Tourism officials, the media, artistes, performers, celebrity chefs, sponsors, strategic partners and youth of the Caribbean Diaspora will participate in Caribbean Week activities on 26 and 27 June. The programme includes events for the travel industry, a workshop for National Tourist Office representatives, the Diaspora Forum and Media Marketplace at which leading travel journalists from the GTA interact with representatives from CTO member countries.