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The Lifeblood of My Community by Robert Moser

Essay

The Lifeblood of My Community

by Robert Moser

A personal essay on three generations of a Calgary family shaped by the oil and gas industry, from an engineer father to a grandfather's farm turned prosperous by an oil discovery.

About this work

A personal essay on growing up in Calgary with oil and gas woven through three generations of family: a father's career as an oil engineer, and a grandfather's farm transformed from a struggling operation into a thriving property after oil was discovered on the land.

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Carbon Copies by Rowan Rallison

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A poem likening the energy debate to oil and water: two sides that will not blend until they choose to.

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A poem likening a slowing heartbeat to fossil fuel's fading light, tracing Canada's energy story from oil sands to Ottawa's first hydro lantern.

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Canadian Energy: Sustainability, Today and in the Future by Princess Egwu

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Canadian Energy: Sustainability, Today and in the Future

An essay arguing Canada's path forward lies not in choosing between fossil fuels and renewables, but in combining the strengths of both.

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Crossroads of Change: Balancing Progress and Preservation by Samreen Channey

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A short story following a student who feels the gap between what she's taught about climate change and her small town's resistance to it.

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Heartbeat of the North by Stella Wang

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Heartbeat of the North

A poem on the quiet, steady pulse of energy running through the North: through the land, its people, and the generations who built a life there.

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Turning Local by Kaylynn Walmsley

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Turning Local

An essay on decentralizing the Canadian energy sector to better serve local communities, national interest, and the environment.

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Animation and Energy by Emma-Leigh Hinds

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Animation and Energy

An animated short film on how the Canadian energy sector powers the medium of animation itself.

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The Framework of Our Energy Future by Josiah Steeves

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The Framework of Our Energy Future

Hand-built replicas of Canada’s energy systems, staged on interchangeable landscapes to show employment, choice, and reliability.

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A Day in The Life With The Energy Sector by Max Hagenow

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A short film tracing the energy sector through one ordinary day for an 18 year old in Canada.

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Solving the Canadian Oil Education Problem by Casper Dong

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An interactive oil painting installation about the threads tying energy to jobs, healthcare, and a brighter Canadian future.

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NRG Efficiency by Keni Liang

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The Great Energy Showdown by Mikayla Hall-Bruce

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Powering the Flag by Abigail McCorquodale

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A dance concept video where seven dancers, each carrying a different energy source, weave together into the shape of the Canadian flag.

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Canadian Energy Landscape

An electronic sculpture that uses energy self-referentially to illustrate the tension in Canada’s energy conversation.

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A kinetic Stirling-engine sculpture whose unmarked clock spins faster with every degree of heat: how much time do we have left?

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A rock song paying tribute to the workers and the innovation behind Canada’s oil and fossil fuel industry.

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Polar Futures by Alvin Elendu

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A monochrome drawing of a polar bear with an ECG line running through it, tracing the pulse of Canada’s energy and its ecosystems.

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Energy of the True North by Andy Li

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Energy of the True North

A song tracing one Metro Vancouver upbringing from taking clean hydro power for granted to appreciating Canada’s full energy mix.

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Locke’d by Elijah Dean

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Locke’d

A cinematic musical piece on the oilfield’s human cost, Canada’s wild beauty, and a stewardship ethic drawn from John Locke.

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A Day at Sunrise Farm by Gayathri Nejimon

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A warm, “edutainment” comic about a small family-run sunflower farm and how the Canadian energy sector keeps it running.

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A short film about two characters on opposite sides of the energy debate, and the middle ground between them.

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The Shape of Energy by Tristyn Murray

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A danced short film with an original narrated poem, shot across Canadian locations shaped by energy.

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A watercolour on balancing renewables, fossil fuels, jobs, and ecosystems: “the choice,” not “a choice.”

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A nighttime painting of a family gathered in a lit farmhouse window, with an energy facility glowing on the hillside beyond.

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A short film told entirely through a text-message thread, working up to a question about why someone can't visit.

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The View From Here by Linda Enns

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A short film shot on location across Alberta, the creator speaking straight to camera against the province's own landscape and industry.

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Wishing for Less by Simone Mingelbier

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An original song performed and recorded at home, captioned lyrics carrying its message about wanting less and getting more.

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Bottles Saved by Queensley Okorie

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A vertical, TikTok-style short tallying the small daily habits, like a water-bottle refill counter, that add up to conservation.

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A feminist energy narrative told through a fashion line, each garment a chapter on women's place in the energy story.

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A Dance With The Spirits by Lilian Ohia

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Charcoal Study by Lacie Firth

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A large-scale charcoal drawing performed and recorded outdoors, built up in sweeping strokes across stretched fabric.

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A video essay arguing Canada's energy sector needs to push further, faster, framed against the Toronto skyline.

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A video connecting the energy sector to something as basic as clean water, framed through a researcher examining a sample under lab conditions.

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Year 3 · Early signups open

Inspired? Make your own

Five full tuition scholarships valued at up to $100,000 each, awarded every year. Early signups are open and the contest opens at the end of November.

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5 Winners every year

15–25 Eligible ages

Feb 28 Submissions close 2027