1. A total of 17 winning teams, from the University and Polytechnic categories , were crowned for ‘Local Champions, Global Leaders’, the first SG50 competition bringing together companies and tertiary students. The competition attracted 76 submissions across all six local universities and five polytechnics. The winners received their awards from Guest-of-Honour Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for Manpower and Co-Chair of the SG50 Economic and International Committee at the prize presentation ceremony held at the Suntec Convention Centre.

2. The competition saw students using creative design elements and various media forms to articulate the stories of both local industry champions and foreign companies that have contributed significantly to Singapore’s economy and created meaningful jobs for our workforce. In line with Singapore’s 50th birthday, this competition also paid tribute to the “hands that built our nation”.

Polytechnic Category
3. Cularcell, Gen90spire and NYP Lionheart, all representing NYP, came in first for their respective categories. The companies they featured were Ayam Brand, Global Airfreight International and Singtel, respectively.

4. Mr Brandon Mark Anand, a second year student from Republic Polytechnic pursuing a Diploma in Mass Communication representing Mediamouth , one of the teams that was awarded first-runner up, said, “This experience has been nothing but phenomenal. It opened up our eyes to the remarkable achievements of local companies and reminded us how capable we are as a nation. We are humbled by this experience and truly inspired by how home-grown brands, like Toast Box, have successfully distinguished themselves locally and globally.”

5. Through its outstanding usage of multimedia, design elements and overall artistic direction coupled with a clear and coherent theme, NYP Lionheart successfully illustrated how Singtel has grown with Singapore and connected people through technology, in a simple yet relatable manner. It was awarded the Most Creative Team out of all submissions. The Most Popular Entry went to TEAM CMM (TP) and the company it featured was GLOBALFOUNDRIES.

University Category
6. The three teams that came out tops for the University Category were Maos (NUS), ZeDope (SIT) and The Famous Five (NUS). The companies they featured were Bok Seng Logistics, Chan Brothers Travel and SMRT Corporation, respectively.

7. Mr Richard Tan, Director, Corporate, Bok Seng Logistics, said, “We are truly impressed by the creativity, perseverance and innovative spirit that the students brought with them. This reminded us of the struggles we faced in our early years and the storms we weathered to reach where we are today. More importantly, the students provided us with an opportunity to reflect on how far we have progressed as a company, inspiring us to continue to grow and contribute to Singapore’s economic success.”

Judging Criteria
8. The student submissions were judged by an esteemed panel comprising Mr Teo Siong Seng, Chairman, Singapore Business Federation, Mr Kurt Wee, President, Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Mr Daniel Boey, Founder of Daniel Boey Pte Ltd, and Ms Chew Mok Lee, Assistant Chief Executive (Capabilities & Partnership), SPRING Singapore.

9. The judges assessed the submissions based on their ability to illustrate the entrepreneurial spirit, values, and contributions of the people behind these local champions and global leaders. In addition, social media and on-site voting also contributed to the final scores for the winning teams.

10. Mr Teo said, “I am very impressed by students for being able to put together such a meaningful and wonderful showcase. I am also heartened to see that they have gained a deep understanding of the companies’ history, and the people behind these success stories. More importantly, the students have realised that there are actually many good home-grown companies – small, medium and large, in Singapore and this also showcases the vibrancy of our economy.”

11. Mr Ted Tan, Deputy Chief Executive of SPRING Singapore, said, “We are impressed by the enthusiasm displayed by all participating teams and would like to congratulate all the winners for their great effort. We hope that this SG50 competition has piqued the interest of our younger generation, making them want to learn more about our companies and, in turn, inspiring them to write the next chapter of Singapore’s growth journey. We encourage our companies to strive for greater heights and continue to shape Singapore’s economic success for the next 50 years.”

12. The ‘Local Champions, Global Leaders’ competition is organised by SPRING Singapore and supported by Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore. Together with ‘50 Schools, 50 SMEs’, it is one of two projects organised by the SG50 Economic & International Committee which pays tributes to companies that have contributed to Singapore’s economic growth story and aims to bring our younger generation closer to the people behind these companies. Both projects will culminate in a public exhibition on Singapore’s economic story to be unveiled in mid-2015.