In a ceremony at the MCA on Thursday, the winners of this year's QANTAS Spirit of Youth Awards were announced. Judged by a panel of "industry leaders", including Nicky & Simone Zimmermann, Deanne Cheuk, Marc Newson and Jan Chapman, the winners are those deemed the best representative entrants in the creative fields of fashion, film, object & industrial design, music, photography, visual arts and visual communication. The winner of each category receives $10,000 in cash and flights from QANTAS. It's wonderful to see Australia's young creatives actively celebrated, which in turn encourages the creativity young people across the nation. Initiatives like SOYA are therefore invaluable to our community, so we've one minor suggestion - why can't there be a category to celebrate Australia's young writers too? Concrete Playground celebrates the winners of the 2010 QANTAS Spirit of Youth Awards: Fashion: Dion Lee, NSW. Considered by Alex Perry to be one of the best new designers in Australia (link mildly NSFW), Dion Lee will use his prize money and flight to aid in the expansion of his business, while his mentorship with Zimmerman will give him an insight into international distribution, retail and human resources, which he sees as important aspects of the brand's future growth. I entered SOYA two years ago, when my business had only produced two seasons and I was still finding the direction I wished to pursue in the industry. I am entering SOYA this year, as I see the mentorship as something invaluable to my business. Over the past two years my production has increased dramatically and I am now working with Australian department stores and also starting to focus on an international presence, with sales and PR agencies in Europe and Japan. I am very excited about the future of my business, however it would be a lie to say that the fast pace of this growth doesn't scare me, if it is not managed correctly. Starting my business straight out of college, I lack the formally training required to make strategic judgements for my business and I feel I would have a lot to gain from the SOYA mentorship. Film: Ariel Kleiman, VIC. A filmmaker who involves herself in every aspect of her creation, Ariel Kleiman won The Kodak Discovery Award for best Short Film and the Petit Rail D'or at this year's Cannes Film Festival Critics' Week with her Graduate video, Deeper Than Yesterday. For her, mentoring with Jan Chapman will be "invaluable", and will help her make her move from shorts to feature filmmaking. It has certainly been an amazing year and I have been consistently honored and humbled by any recognition that my films or myself have received. Fantastically, the events of this year caught the eye of Production Company, Warp Films who have signed me to write and direct my first feature film, which I have just begun co-writing with my girlfriend, Sarah Cyngler. These achievements and opportunities are really encouraging and are a huge motivatation as I begin my career as a filmmaker. The opportunity to be mentored by someone like Jan Chapman at this point would be invaluable. Her knowledge, experience and amazing successes in the industry I am just at the beginning of entering into, would be such an incredible resource https://youtube.com/watch?v=7nklFwWNaDg Industrial and Object design: Alex Gilmour, NSW Alex Gilmour is an industrial designer behind her own business, The Evie Group. She will use the cash and flights to help break into the international market, and looks forward to the mentorship with Marc Newson as a way to have her work reviewed by a designer who has influenced her. Music: kyü, NSW. Both at just 20 years old, kyü have already played with artist like Patrick Wolf, Yeasayer and Why?, as well as scoring Album of the Week on ABC Radio National and FBi Radio last month. They'll use the cash and flights to head over to South by South West, and working with Lee Groves, they'll be able to explore the finer points of album production. This prize is the dream. We've plans to travel to America in early 2011 with the intention of consolidating existing and emerging international relationships with musicians and industry, including attending the 2011 SXSW conference. We see this as a vital opportunity to develop our career, as well as our practice, and feel privileged to have reached this point at such an early stage. To receive Qantas flights and a cash grant would make these plans a reality, and would open up a world of opportunities for us – quite literally. Likewise a mentorship with Lee Groves would be an incredible gift. While we're so proud of our album we've not had the opportunity to work with a record producer and really work through the process of composition, recording and production. To be able to do this with someone as creative, passionate and skilled as Lee would be immensely rewarding both creatively and professionally, and presents an opportunity that we'd be unlikely to have otherwise. Photography: Penny Lane, VIC. A full-time freelance photographer, Penny Lane rediscovered her love of photography in the last year of a fashion degree, taking photos of her fellow students' collections. She'll use her cash, flights, and mentorship with Tony Mott to broaden her expereince and cement working relationships. There is always the lust with photography to want bigger & better equipment to shoot with; however I believe that photography is not about the tools themselves, rather an expression of inspiration from experience, adventure, relationships (personal and professional), environment, cultures, art & music, and breaking out of ones comfort zone and exploring your own uncharted territory. And as an amazing by-product – having fun working along the way! Visual Arts: Clare Peake, WA. Clare Peake's work is "momentary, makeshift and flimsy in its construction." She will use her cash and flights to research a new work, Crossing the Equator, and exploration of knowledge based on real and imagined travel. Her mentorship withElizabeth Ann Macgregor will be an experience to draw on Macgregor's experience and connect with the industry. The objects can be best seen as a survey of my practice but not actually the practice itself, they are simple experiments or gestures that aid in the understanding to the nature of the way things are. Through observation we can attempt to get an insight from the outcomes achieved into the way in which they have been thought about. In some ways, they aid in revealing how the idea came about. Revealing the external references from my surroundings and material qualities that have come into and gone out of the work, they represent the ebb and flow of a thought process. A transformation from what is actually living and a snap shot of something that is in the process of transforming. Visual Communication: Motherbird, VIC. Together, Jack Mussett, Dan Evans & Chris Murphy are Motherbird, a passionate design collective that has worked for Warner and Film Victoria. They'll be using the cash to develop self promotional pieces, and see their mentorship with Deanne Cheuk as a way to gain not only artistic inspiration, but to develop the business side of things as well. They will use their flights for travel, so they can become exposed to the art and culture the world has to offer. The team at Motherbird are currently planning a non-profit design project that aims to display the lighter side of design while also spreading valuable knowledge. We opened Motherbird to create new paths in design, to foster our own and others creative thought and promote the value of design as an industry. Design is our passion and we're incredibly lucky that our fulltime job feels like a hobby. Motherbird is about immersing ourselves in the creative world but engaging others in the process. As recent graduates we understand the difficulty in breaking into the industry to become recognised and respected. Through the side projects and events we engage in we aim to bridge the gap between student and professional.