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2024 Big Idea Award Winner Announced

May 3, 2024
Kaitlyn Onela

A creative with a love of Laos is the 2024 Big Idea Award recipient. 

Kaitlyn Onela’s (BFA ​’24) Big Idea entitled, ​“Kingdom of a Million Elephants: Stories from Laos,” will be a visual archive of 2D animated short films based on stories from Laos.

Kaitlyn describes the project as stories “…which are not commonly sought out or retold, will include mythology, folk tales, and fairy tales from the region, informed by oral retellings from people in the Lao community and researchers who have investigated the subject. The goal of the project is to record and preserve these stories before the people who know these stories are no longer alive to tell them, and they are forever lost to time.”

In this video Kaitlyn talks about her personal connection to Laos, and what she hopes this project will mean to others. 

The Stamps School of Art & Design, with generous support from the Stamps Family, friends, and other supporters in the community, proudly offers the Big Idea Award in memory of alumna Penny W. Stamps (1944−2018).

The Big Idea Award aims to motivate students to develop ambitious aspirations that reflect the values of a Stamps education; accelerate progress toward achieving those aspirations; and encourage students to rise to the challenge put forth by Penny W. Stamps. The award provides one Stamps senior or eligible team $25,000 to help launch a major, ambitious project after graduation. Past Big Idea Award recipients include: