The Archdiocese of Toronto’s Office for Interreligious Dialogue has announced the winners of this year’s Dominican Friars Youth Interfaith Video Contest under this year’s theme of Faith as a pathway from division to unity.

Magdalena Skolarczyk and Julia Bilinska from General J. Haller Polish School at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Toronto were awarded first place, as well as a $650 cash prize from the Dominican Friars of Toronto, for their detailed video submission. 

Intending to create a video reflection on how love, compassion and interfaith dialogue can help bridge divides and foster unity among people of different faith backgrounds, Skolarczyk and Bilinska took their approach internationally. 

“It was incredible to see the lengths they went to to get that content in, travelling all the way to Japan to look at a different interfaith context than what we have here in Canada,” said Mark Brosens, the York Catholic District School Board’s senior manager of brand, marketing and communications and a returning judge for this year.

“The submission contained beautiful reflections that the students had in terms of how unity through faith can make the world a better place and promote real understanding among people. That was something that really touched me.”

The video, titled One Faith, One Future: Moving Beyond Division, shows the students exploring various Shinto and Buddhist shrines, the Great Buddha of Kamakura statue and encounters with locals praying over a backdrop of impressive nature and city videography. 

Although this is the fourth year that students from Grades 9 to 12 have been invited to participate through video submissions, the contest's roots stem from the office director’s inspiration upon seeing the creativity of local youth many years ago. 

“ I was there at one of our interfaith events during Advent, where these young students were conducting a sort of interview with us. They gave us this little video summarizing the whole program, and I was so impressed that I said to myself, ‘There is a lot of creativity here, ’” Fr. Prakash Lohale recalls.

“The kids were already so used to making videos, so why not have a video contest? Now, you see the quality each year keeps improving, and it is very clear how well we have seen things progress.”

Fr. Haig Chahinian, CEO of Salt + Light Media, was also a judge in this year’s contest. For him, each submission was a reminder of how in-tune  youth remain on issues, even ones as big as interfaith relationships. 

“It was truly a joy to witness the depth, sincerity and creativity that each participant brought to this year’s theme. What struck me most was how thoughtfully the students approached the idea of interfaith dialogue, not as a theoretical concept, but as something lived, relational and deeply personal,” he said.

“Many of the videos highlighted the power of simple gestures, shared stories and the courage to encounter others across differences. In a time when division often dominates public discourse, these entries were a refreshing sign of hope. They reminded me that the next generation is not only aware of the challenges we face but also eager to be part of the solution through empathy, collaboration and faith in action.” 

Brosens agrees with Chahinian, adding that the interfaith component of the video contest has given each student the ability to see in more depth how connected they are to their peers — an element of true importance to him. 

“Building bonds between people of different faiths is something important, especially in an increasingly atheist culture. People of faith have more in common with each other than we realize, and so I really value this contest as it has become a way to get young people thinking about those bonds they have with their brothers and sisters of other faiths,” he said. 

To view this year’s first-place video on YouTube.