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N.E.mation! is an annual inter-school digital animation competition organised by Nexus, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)'s Central National Education Office, for students from secondary schools and pre-university centres to express their thoughts on Total Defence. The competition has been very well received since its launch in 2007, reaching more than 16,000 participants over the last 10 years. With the help of industry professionals, students with no experience in animation were trained to produce broadcast-quality clips for many platforms, including free-to-air television. Some of these clips have won awards at international animation festivals.
N.E.mation! returns for its 12th season with the main Student Category and a pilot of the new Youth Crowdsource Category. The theme for this year, "Together We Keep Singapore Strong", highlights how Total Defence remains as our best all-round response to the threats and challenges that Singapore faces on all fronts -- military, civil, economic, social and psychological. Through their animation clips, students offer their perspective of Total Defence and show how people can put Total Defence into action, in their everyday lives.
N.E.mation! 12 received 643 entries and from 1,328 participants. In a more challenging format introduced this year, participants must tell their stories in 30 seconds, half the time of the previous 60-second clips.
The Student Category is open to students from 13 to 16 years old who were invited to form teams of three or four members and submit a creative pitch based on the theme of the competition. The top 10 teams were selected and provided with training to produce broadcast-quality animation clips. The clips were available for public voting from 20 January 2018 to 11 February 2018 through the N.E.mation! website, Facebook page and via SMS.
The Youth Crowdsource Category is open to individuals from 17 to 35 years old who were invited to submit story ideas for animation clips based on the theme of the competition. The 10 best story ideas submitted were developed into animation clips by students from our partnering Institutes of Higher Learning, Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Interactive & Digital Media (NYP/SIDM) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central's School of Design and Media (ITE/SDM). The clips have been available for public viewing on the N.E.mation! website and social media platforms since January 2018.
Student Category Results
The Student Category winners have been determined by a combination of public votes (50%) and decision by a panel of judges (50%) comprising industry professionals, academics and representatives from government agencies.
Table caption
S/N | Team Name (School) | Animation Title and Synopsis | Final Results |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | cedar3 | It's In Your Hands The extent of our strength can often be seen in the actions we take with our hands. These actions could be subtle or epic, but they all can make a difference. | Student Category |
2 | String Cheese | The Fabric Of Our Society How the strands are woven will determine how tightly knit the fabric is. A cool analogy for our society. | Student Category |
3 | Volcayes | Lack Never Held Us Back This clip gives you the "what" and "why" of innovation for Singapore in 30 seconds! | Student Category |
4 | Singapurreans | Anytime, Anywhere MyResponder and SGSecure apps -- two examples of how digital technology has made it easier for us to intervene in emergencies. | Student Category |
5 | Expecto Patronum | Little Red Book Is the Singapore passport just a passport? Or more than that? Let’s find out. | Student Category |
6 | Luke_Jar | Inner Workings What powers the people of Singapore? What can we achieve together, if we let love drive our inner workings? | Student Category |
7 | The Three Animators | Total Defenders: The Game Crises and emergencies may appear daunting, but if we each used our "special moves" just like video game characters, we can overcome any crisis together. | Student Category |
8 | S.A.M.S | Persistence Solves The Puzzle
| Student Category |
9 | AXJ Square | Good Neighbour 101 Having great neighbours starts with being one, and becoming a great neighbour requires only a few simple steps. | Student Category |
10 | WaterHydrates | (In)Decision Comes at a Price To press or not to press? This is a look into a teenage dilemma when taking a train in Singapore. | Student Category |
Youth Crowdsource Category Results
The Youth Crowdsource Category winners have been selected by the panel of judges.
Table caption
S/N | Youth that submitted idea | Team Name (School) | Animation Title and Synopsis | Final Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lim Jia Xiang | Nacho Cheese | String of Singapore A messy ball of string slowly unravels to tell the story of how Singaporeans stuck together through thick and thin. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
2 | Teoh Qi Zhen | Why are we N.E.mate | Shoes A young girl takes interest in her father’s Army boots and discovers the meaning of defending what is important to her. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
3 | Mohamed Imran Khan Bin Mohamed Arshad Khan | LYNDA | Everyday Heroes Ordinary Singaporeans come together to fight a robber in their path. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
4 | Goh Guan Hao | Team C | Entwining Hearts We cannot take racial harmony for granted. We need to start with understanding and respecting one another. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
5 | Goh Guan Hao | Sleepless Knights | Score for Singapore We look at an incident during the 2015 SEA Games and see how our National Anthem unites Singaporeans. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
6 | Tan Hui Qi Melissa | Sunshi.N.E | Raindrops for Tomorrow A mother recounts her experiences during the 1963 water shortage in Singapore. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
7 | Tan Hui Qi Melissa | D.B.R.W-ing | What is Strength? As a few students come together to help their classmate, they discover that there is much strength in unity. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
8 | Lau Fong Meng, Gabriel | Roastea | The "Limited Edition" A young boy journeys through life, inspired by the National Servicemen he meets. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
9 | Ang Jia Shing Adeline | Jajangmyeon | River of Life You will love this beautiful sketch of the Singapore story reflected in the Singapore River. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
10 | Kwek Jia Xuan, Nicole | No Vacation | Beneath the Shadows While Singaporeans may have diverse backgrounds, we have a common identity that unites us as one. | Youth Crowdsource Category |
Awards and Prizes
The winning clips will have a chance to be broadcasted on free-to-air television, movie screens, and partners' platforms nationwide. The champion teams will win a fully sponsored animation learning trip to visit renowned overseas animation studios.
Table caption
Student Category Awards and Prizes | |
|---|---|
Champion |
|
1st Runner-Up |
|
2nd Runner-Up |
|
Social Media Award |
|
10 Finalist Teams |
|
Youth Crowdsource Category Awards and Prizes | |
Youths that submitted the winning story ideas |
|
Champion |
|
1st Runner-Up |
|
2nd Runner-Up |
|
10 Finalist Teams |
|
Website and Social Media Platforms
The latest information on N.E.mation! can be found on these online platforms:
Official website: www.nemation.sg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nemation
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nemation.sg
Twitter: www.twitter.com/nemation
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/nemators
[2] A praxinoscope is an optical device which uses spinning mirrored devices that create the illusion of moving pictures.
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