Budding young filmmakers tell it all for the Environment and the Arts

In addition, in recognition of her outstanding performance, the "Outstanding Youngest Performer" award was given out for the first time to 11-year old anchor presenter Lydia Lau from Anderson Primary School. This is also the first year that the programme is open to students as young as 10 years of age.

Leading the pack in offering Singapore youths international exposure in multimedia

Spearheaded by Panasonic Singapore and supported by the Media Development Authority (MDA), KWN advocates creative learning in youths through a hands-on video education programme. Organised in Singapore for the third year running, this outreach programme for students aims to raise media literacy levels by providing students with a platform to explore creative ideas through multimedia and the chance to experience regional and international exposure by competing with their peers beyond our shores.

The programme complements MDA's MediaAction! outreach initiative, which aims to inspire Singaporeans to discover the possibilities that media can offer for work, learning and play.

"KWN bears testimony to what MEDIAction! aims to achieve- raising the media literacy levels of Singaporeans in a fun and engaging manner. By providing a platform for creative self-expression by teens on issues that affect their daily lives through the innovative use of media, we are able to nurture a pool of young, discerning media producers who are able to contribute to the media industry," said Ms Pam Hu, Director of Community and International Relations at the MDA.

The programme saw several enhancements this year – the minimum age limit was reduced to 10 years, and members of the public were invited to preview the shortlisted clips and vote online to support their favourite videos.

Youths tell it all for the Environment and the Arts

This year’s Programme attracted 21 entries from 20 schools vying for five awards, namely the KWN Top News Production Award – Best Production, the Journalist of Tomorrow Award – Best Presenter, the Spotlight Award – Best Presenter, the Tune Award – Best Sound Effect, and the Clipper Award – Best Editing. The teams were provided with training sessions from industry veterans, and produced a three to five-minute video clip each based on either the Environment or the Arts.

Winners were selected based on these broad criteria: the content’s relevance and depth, the anchor presenter’s caliber, the technical skills involved in recording and post-production work, and the overall quality of the video masterpiece. Hailing from a spectrum of rich experience in the media development and production industries, judges of the contest are:

1. Mr Lionel Chok, acclaimed local film-maker
2. Mr Eric Tan, Assistant Director of Community and International Relations, MDA
3. Mr Kenneth Chee, Senior Programming Manager, MediaCorp TV
4. Ms Waheedah Osman, Programming Manager , MediaCorp TV 12

Moving ahead – the opportunity to go global

The winning clip, Concrete Jungle, will represent Singapore in the regional round in Kuala Lumpur this December who will also compete with their peers from countries including Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The emerging Regional Winner will then compete for KWN’s International Award in the United States next year.

"Over the past three years, KWN has offered Singapore youths the opportunity to gain international exposure and learn the necessary skills to turn their love for video into something to be proud of. I’m sure that it has been a good learning experience for all the participants", said Mr Paul Wong, Managing Director of Panasonic Singapore.