It's cute, and even looks a bit&nbsp;cuddly — at least on one side.

Meet Dach'aw, the newly-unveiled mascot for next year's Arctic Winter Games&nbsp;in Whitehorse. It's a smiling, bright-eyed porcupine with an unruly shock of quills spilling out of its "Bring it North" T-shirt.

11-year-old artist Owen McDonald's character&nbsp;was chosen from among dozens of entries into a contest by the Whitehorse 2020 organizers.

The charismatic quilled rodent edged out&nbsp;the likes of Cece&nbsp;the fox, and Cober the wolf cub. The contest was only open to Yukon youth aged eight to 18.&nbsp;

"It feels amazing.&nbsp;Like, I never actually won anything like this before, so it's pretty cool," McDonald said.&nbsp;

McDonald says&nbsp;his character&nbsp;embodies the territory's athletes, and volunteers — formidable on one side, like Yukon athletes, and warm and cuddly on the other, like Yukon hosts.&nbsp;

11-year-old Owen McDonald's contest-winning design of a mascot for the 2020 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse.

Dach'aw

"I tried to make it, like, more cute than anything else.&nbsp;It's a mascot, there's kids —&nbsp;[I'm] not trying to scare them," McDonald said.&nbsp;

McDonald says he's been drawing for years.

"I started when I was really little, and then I took a break for about a year, and I just got back into it, like, two years ago maybe," he said.

Moira&nbsp;Lassen, the general manager&nbsp;of the 2020 Arctic Winter&nbsp;Games, called Dach'aw&nbsp;— "porcupine" in Southern Tutchone&nbsp;—&nbsp;"a clear winner."

"We had so many creative and fun submissions from youth in the territory," Lassen said in a statement. "Our mascot selection committee had&nbsp;a very difficult decision."&nbsp;

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Child on sled  being pulled by dogs on a track.

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Ketchi mushing AWG

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AWG opening ceremonies 2018

Nearly 2,000 athletes took in the 2018 Arctic Winter Games opening ceremonies from Hay River, N.W.T. in March. 

The mascot committee will now work to make McDonald's design come to life as a real mascot. The character will be presented at a public event later this year.

McDonald will get V.I.P. accreditation for the games, tickets to the opening ceremonies, some AWG&nbsp;merchandise, and a set of pins.&nbsp;

As for his drawing career?&nbsp;He's just getting started.

"I want to work for Marvel or DC —&nbsp;make comics."&nbsp;

11-year-old Owen McDonald won a contest to design the mascot for the 2020 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse.

Cuddly, yet formidable: Meet Dach'aw, mascot for the 2020 Arctic Winter Games

'A clear winner'

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