KWN AWARDS 2005

Singapore, 18 November 2005 – Panasonic Kid Witness News (KWN) today announced the results of the 2005 KWN Programme. The event was graced by Guest-of-honour, Minister of State, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Mr Chan Soo Sen.

KWN is a hands-on video-making competition organized by Panasonic and supported by the Media Development Authority Singapore (MDA). Indeed, this educational outreach campaign initiated by Panasonic is in line with two of MDA’s key thrust, which is to nurture local media talent and develop digital media.

In addressing the guests at the award ceremony, Mr. Yamanishi Kazuhiro, General Manager of Panasonic Singapore said, "As the local broadcasting industry develops and prospers, the aspirations of these young people will continue to rise. KWN serves as a platform to facilitate in their exploration for new ideas and horizons and to allow these talented youth an opportunity to unleash their creativity and hone their craft."

KWN, which reaches more than 120 cities worldwide, is now into its 15th year and this year marks the second time that it is held in Singapore. This year’s competition saw a total of 27 submissions from 21 schools. Participants were given a month and a half to complete a 3 – 5 minutes video clip, which revolves around the official theme “Culture”. Given the dynamism of Singapore’s rich and diverse culture, one can expect that the entries submitted were anything but unexciting.

Students from Bukit Panjang Government High School, winner of Kid Witness News Top Productions for one, couldn’t have chosen a more novel topic that looks deep into Singapore’s culture. Titled "Phantom of the Chinese Opera”, the clip delved into the rich history of this traditional art. Said team leader, Wang Qian on her team’s choice of topic, “Chinese opera is very much a dying art in Singapore, with less and less people, especially people of my age group given the opportunity to be exposed to this traditional art form. My teammates and I were very inspired by the Chinese opera performance put up by our fellow schoolmates; these are groups of individuals of multi racial background who have a common passion for Chinese opera. Through our clip, we hope more people will learn to appreciate this fascinating performing arts."

This year’s KWN encompass a total of six award categories, namely the KWN Top News Production, The Clipper Award – Best Editing Quality, The Tune Award – Best Sound Effect, The Spotlight Award – Best Educational Content, The Journalist of Tomorrow – Best Presenter, and MDA Award – Popular Culture Category.

Sitting on the panel of judges for the selection of the winners are some prominent figure from the broadcasting and media industry, including Mr Man Shu Sum, Director of Media Development Authority Singapore, Mr Lee Ee Wurn, Managing Executive Producer of Chinese Entertainment Productions, MediaCorp Studios, Mr Stephen Black, Writer and Director, Mr Lionel Chok, renowned filmmaker as well as Mr Yamanishi Kazuhiro, General Manager of Panasonic Singapore.

Students from Bukit Panjang Government High School, with their winning clip “Phantom of the Chinese Opera” will be representing Singapore to compete at the regional competition held in Thailand come December 2005. Countries involved in the regional contest this year include Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The emerging regional winner’s work will then be sent to the United States for the international award.

This year, KWN was held in conjunction with the Asia Media Festival (AMF) 2005 hosted by the MDA. Commenting on the competition, Ms Pam Hu, Program Director of Community and International Relations at the MDA said, "The MDA hopes through the competition to uncover the next broadcasting talent that would create "Made by Singapore" content that is appealing and informative for the international arena. This platform provides a good opportunity to showcase the creativity and potential of our youth in news production and expose them to the media industry at an early age."