“You don’t really learn unless you try” – What story will your DIY project tell?
Enter to win an iPhone 17 with your Nunavut Day DIY!
“If you enjoy something and you’re not sure how, go for it, because you really don’t learn unless you try.”
Nunavut Day is a special opportunity to celebrate the culture, history, and traditions that make Nunavut unique. We’re honoured to host the Nunavut Day DIY contest each year to showcase the creativity found across Nunavut communities. The contest is about more than making something by hand – it’s about sharing stories, preserving traditions, and celebrating life in the North.
Meet Rosie Ussak: Winner of the 2025 Nunavut Day DIY contest
Rosie Ussak lives in Rankin Inlet with her husband, John, and their three daughters. When they’re not at work or school, the family spends time hunting, fishing, berry picking, and visiting their cabin near the Diana River.
“Whenever we have time off in the spring, we start to take the girls out hunting or fishing or spend more time at the cabin,” Rosie says. “We do a lot of cranberry picking in the fall.”
Rosie discovered the Nunavut Day DIY contest while scrolling through Facebook and decided to submit a project she had been working on.
“I thought, ‘Oh, it might be interesting to share my picture,’” she recalls. “Then I read through the contest rules and saw the prize and I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to try.’”
The 2025 Nunavut Day DIY winning image
Her winning entry was a beautifully beaded tuili or tuilik, a traditional Inuit garment used by mothers to carry their children. What began as a creative idea in February 2020 eventually became a five-year journey of research, learning, and beadwork. Using stroud fabric and glass seed beads, Rosie carefully recreated a traditional design while adding her own personal touches. Five years later, Rosie placed the final bead on the garment.
“When I first started researching, the majority of the garments were made out of stroud and beads, so that’s what I went with,” she says. “Some inspiration came from family members as well, so I incorporated both.”
The project carried special meaning for Rosie and her family. She incorporated symbols that honoured the people her daughters are named after. A snow bunting represented her late mother, Agluvak. A butterfly honoured her late sister, Winnie. Five ulus – a tool traditionally used by Inuit women – arranged to resemble a flower were included for her daughter, Julia.
“The snow bunting always reminded me of my mother,” Rosie says. “The butterfly always reminded me of my sister.”
The project began when Rosie’s daughter, Julia, was selected to participate in a program in South Africa. Thinking about the colourful beadwork her daughter would experience there reminded Rosie of the beauty of traditional Inuit beaded garments. Although the trip was later cancelled during the pandemic, the inspiration for the project remained.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rosie dedicated countless hours to learning new beading techniques and working on the garment. She relied on online research, visits to the Rankin Inlet Visitor Centre to study the displayed tuili amauti and guidance from experienced beaders in the community.
When Rosie found out she had won the contest, she was thrilled.
“I was just super happy. I didn’t think I would win, but I was hopeful,” she says.
Rosie later gifted the prize phone to her youngest daughter as a birthday present, making the win even more meaningful for her family.
For Rosie, creativity is closely connected to culture and community.
“I think art connects a lot of people in different ways, whether they’re getting to know the culture, healing, or getting to know the roots of their culture,” she says.
Rosie’s family on the land in Rankin Inlet
Today, Rosie’s wearable works of art continue to create memories: Julia wore her beaded tuili during her first-year Nunavut Sivuniksavut graduation ceremony in Ottawa, and the family has worn them at special events in the community.
Her advice for anyone thinking about entering this year’s contest is simple:
“If you enjoy something and you’re not sure how, go for it, because you really don’t learn unless you try.”
We hope to see more incredible creations from across Nunavut this year. Share your project, your story, and your pride in Nunavut. We can’t wait to see what everyone has been working on this past year!
The Nunavut Day DIY Contest is back!
This year, we want to see not just what you created, but how it helped you celebrate Nunavut Day. Did you wear it to a community event? Share it with family? Display it with pride?
Whatever you made, big or small, traditional or totally unique, we want to see the story behind it.
The contest runs from July 6 to 14. To enter, post a photo of your DIY creation in the comments of our official Facebook contest post and tell us how it will be or was part of your Nunavut Day celebration. One lucky winner will receive an iPhone 17.
Enter to win an iPhone 17 with your Nunavut Day DIY!
You don’t need to be a professional maker to participate. This contest is about creativity, community, and northern pride, just like last year’s winner, Rosie Ussak of Rankin Inlet, whose handcrafted beaded tuili celebrated family, culture, and Inuit tradition.
