Singapore Creator Awards (SCA), the design competition co-organised by Singapore Press Holdings’ (SPH) Chinese Media Group and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC), with support from SG Enable, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), and Singapore Management University (SMU) Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE), has announced its 2021 winners.
SCA 2021, which is the programme’s third edition, took the theme of ‘New Normal, New Designs’ and attracted a total of 240 submissions from both aspiring and established designers.
The Established Designer category (opened to professional designers who have heir own practice, have worked in the industry for more than 3 years, or have received recognition from design awards) awarded one Bronze and two Merit awards while the Aspiring Designer category (opened to students and design aficionados) awarded one Gold, one Silver, one Bronze and four Merit awards.
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In addition to the two established categories, the SCA 2021 also awarded two accolades: the Inclusive Design Award, which seeks inclusive F&B solutions to enable persons with disabilities to patronise dining outlets, and the New Potential Star Award, which seeks most promising entries to nurture in the incubator programme organised by SMU IIE.
SCA 2021 also awarded prizes for entries with the most public votes and a Highest Participation Award for the school with the most entries, which went to Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).
So, what kind of the designs are the winning entries? Here are the details.
SOAP STICKERS
by Kevin Chiam
Bronze Award, Established Designer Category
Soap Stickers by award-winning product designer Kevin Chiam are whimsical soap-coated stickers with cute animal designs designed to encourage children to wash their hands.
As the soap coat is washed away, the cute animal graphic will reveal itself, delighting the children.
The judges cited the design’s potential to be extended to other industries such as the health or service industries.
DIMSUM WARRIORS
by Wu Yen Yen, Yumcha Studios
Merit Award, Established Designer Category & Most Public Votes for Singapore Creator Awards
A bilingual animation multimedia teaching aid for home-based children, Dim Sum Warriors was hailed as an “admirable effort to promote language learning in a fun way” by the judges.
This entry also won the Most Public Votes for Singapore Creator Awards in the Established Design Category.
POPPI DESK
by Adriel Chua, Paper Carpenter
Merit Award, Established Designer Category
This $45 workstation made of cardboard went viral when we published it at the start of circuit breaker last year, when we all scrambled to set our home office.
Adriel Chua Lee Hwee, a LaSalle College of the Arts graduate and Project Director of Paper Carpenter, won a Merit prize for the design. The SCA jury commended the desk as an “utilitarian, pragmatic design that provides a stop-gap solution in response to the sudden surge in demand for working/studying space”.
OPAL: BUBBLE HAND SANITISER
by John Marie Tan, Gui Xixian, Ho Yijing, and Edwind Tan from NUS-SDE
Gold Award, Aspiring Designer Category & New Potential Star Award & Most Public Votes for Singapore Creator Awards
Opal is a smart, contactless dispenser that releases rinse-free sanitising bubbles continuously for three seconds using a smart Passive Infrared sensor designed by a team of four students from NUS-SDE.
The judges commended the design’s “elegant form and innovative solution that is very applicable for the new normal”. The design was also cited for its start up potential, which won it the New Potential Star Award in addition to the Gold Award. It also won the Most Public Votes for Singapore Creator Awards for the Aspiring Designer Category.
SENS
by Tan Ying, NUS-SDE
Silver Award, Aspiring Designer Category & Inclusive Design Award
Sens is a digital payment app designed for visually-impaired users by NUS student Tan Ying. It uses AI to facilitate payment processes by incorporating non-visual feedback like audio, gestures and haptics.
“The designer underwent a thorough, in-depth study for the PWD and found a gap in the current market: digital accessibility for the visually impaired,” said the judges. The design also works for the general public, like the ageing population.
In addition to bagging the Silver award, Sens also won the inaugural Inclusive Design Award, taking home a total of $7,000 cash prize.
TACTELL
by Chua Zixin, NUS-SDE
Bronze Award, Aspiring Designer Category
Hailed as “a sensual design that promotes good intention”, Tactell by NUS SDE student Chua Zixin is a hanger with a textured design for the visually-impaired.
Users can identify the hanger (and thus, the item hanging off it) via its tactile design. Also great to identify items in the dark closet, we think.
TO-GATHER, APART
by Thet Naung Oo, SUTD
Merit Award, Aspiring Designer Category
To-Gather, Apart is a floor plan design that uses mural and 2x2m grid to gently promote a safe distancing circulation.
Designed by SUTD Architecture and Sustainable Design student Thet Naung Oo, the project was commended by the judges for “using spatial design to provide a practical safe distancing solution in a beautiful way”.
TEBURU
by Lim Wei Bin, NAFA
Merit Award, Aspiring Designer Category
Designed by NAFA Furniture and Spatial Design student Lim Wei Bin, Teburu is a chair-cum table that promote flexible use of space, which is the new focus of our domestic environment these days.
The judges hailed the Teburu as an “interesting design to breaks the monotony of working/studying at home”.
A STUDY POD FOR YOUNG LEARNERS
by Guo Hang, Qin Mi,Guo Zucheng & Guo Shucheng
Merit Award, Aspiring Designer Category
UX researcher Guo Hang and his wife Qin Mi and their children Zhucheng and Shuceng jointly collaborated on the design of this pod, which is meant to provide space for children to learn as they share their space with adult who work from home.
The design was praised as “an economical solution for home-based children as it enables kids to have their own study place”.
SMALL JOYS
by Nysha Tan, NUS-SDE
Merit Award, Aspiring Designer Category
Moments of joy are especially precious in these stressful times. Small Joys by NUS SDE student Nysha Tan is an app that documents users’ favourite moments and share them with their broader community. Joy, after all, multiplies and inspires when shared.
Visit SCA 2021 for more information.