Alayna Elliott Secures Top JIS Heritage Competition Prize with Poster Inspired by Mother
By: , February 24, 2026
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford (right), joins Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Celia Lindsay (left), in presenting a trophy to Alayna Elliott (second left), winner of the digital poster category in the 2025 JIS Heritage Competition, during the awards ceremony held at the Summit Kingston on February 17. Sharing in the presentation is Senior Marketing Officer at First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union, Carlene Coley.
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Winner of the digital poster category in the 2025 Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Heritage Competition, Alayna Elliott, shares the moment with her mother, Leekia Lindo, during the awards ceremony held at the Summit Kingston on February 17.The Full Story
Alayna Elliott beamed with pride as she received the top prize in the 2025 Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Heritage Competition for her digital poster in the Grades 10-13 category.
The 17-year-old credits her mother as the driving force behind her winning poster, which was inspired by the theme ‘Honouring Our People, Protecting the Future’.
“I did not know about the competition. My mom went onto the JIS website to get some work done, and she saw it and told me about it and encouraged me to enter,” she said, following the awards ceremony on February 17 at the Summit Kingston.
Alayna told JIS News that she entered the competition to challenge her skills as a graphic designer.
Sharing her interpretation of the theme, Alayna said, “All the National Heroes, like Sam Sharpe, Nanny of the Maroons, and Paul Bogle, made a great contribution to shaping us into the people we are today.”
Alayna further told JIS News that creating her entry was a tedious process.
“I’m not really versed in advanced tools such as Photoshop and GIMP. My poster was created using Canva and… low-level editing apps,” she further indicated.
Alayna’s piece contrasted the past with the present. On one side, she incorporated historical images, including a statue of Reggae icon Bob Marley and portraits of National Heroes, to symbolise their enduring role in shaping modern Jamaica.
On the opposite side, she depicted children, wind turbines, and solar panels, symbolising progress, sustainability, and the nation’s future.
“The torch with the flame in the middle of the poster was used to represent the passing on of different traditions from one generation to the next,” Alayna explained.
She shared that her mother played the most instrumental role in the design process.
“Even though she doesn’t really do any graphic design, she provided great feedback, which resulted in the poster that I created,” Alayna said.
Her achievement earned her a trophy; a $20,000 cash prize from JIS; a $5,000 share certificate to open an account at First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union; a US$50 gift certificate courtesy of Margaritaville; and a $3,000 gift certificate from Domino’s.
“It feels amazing because it meant that all the hard work and dedication really paid off… all the hours of me staring at my iPad screen, editing the poster really paid off, so I’m happy,” Alayna said.
