About N.E.mation! 2021
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BACKGROUND
Held annually, N.E.mation! is a national digital animation and storyboard competition for students and youths to express their thoughts about Total Defence. The competition calls on participants to share ideas on putting Total Defence into action. The theme for N.E.mation! 2021 is "Together We Keep Singapore Strong", highlighting how Total Defence is Singapore's all-round response to threats and challenges through Military, Civil, Economic, Social, Digital and Psychological Defence.
CATEGORIES
N.E.mation! 2021 comprises two categories – Student Category and Youth Category.
STUDENT CATEGORY
The Student Category is open to secondary school students from 13 to 16 years old. Students were invited to form teams of three to four members and submit a creative pitch based on the theme. This year, the format of the Student Category was changed to a storyboard competition to encourage higher participation. The top three teams had their storyboards produced by a professional animation house, while the 4th to 10th teams had their storyboards produced by professional illustrators. The top three teams and their storyboard outlines are detailed in Table 1.
YOUTH CATEGORY
The Youth Category is open to individuals aged 17 to 25 years old from post-secondary educational institutions. The top nine teams and synopses of their animation clips can be found in Table 2.
N.E.MATION! 2021 RESULTS
The judging of both categories was determined by a combination of public votes and a judging panel consisting of representatives from Nexus and industry professionals. The public was invited to vote for their favourite N.E.mation! 2021 clips online from 18 January 2021 to 12 February 2021 at https://sweetspot.straitstimes.com/nemation/.
Table 1: Champion and Runners-up from the Student Category
| S/N | Team Name (School) | Storyboard Title & Story Outline | Final Results |
| 1 |
Anonymous Platypie |
Singapore comes together to make a mask for the Merlion. [Social Defence and Civil Defence] |
Champion Team |
| 2 |
Smexy Waxy |
Discover the meaning behind our Singapore one-dollar coin as it brings us through our nation’s progress and what is to come. [Economic Defence] |
1st Runner Up |
| 3 |
Nemo |
Singapore is represented in the form of Rojak. The different components of Rojak come together to form a united Singapore. [Social Defence] |
2nd Runner Up |
Table 2: Champion, Runners-up and Finalists from the Youth Category
| S/N | Team Name (School) | Animation Title & Story Outline | Final Results |
| 1 |
Cocomelon |
Watch as people morph into different frontline roles and professions, expressing the part everyone has to play amidst the Covid-19 pandemic to keep Singapore strong. [Social Defence] |
Champion Team |
| 2 |
JELX |
Singapore is invaded by an external threat, sending the city into distress. Our heroes are activated via the SGSecure app and come to save the day. [Civil Defence and Military Defence] |
1st Runner Up |
| 3 |
PEEPO |
55 years of Singapore has brought us through many significant events. Our nation has emerged stronger, only because we have all played our part. [Social and Psychological Defence] |
2nd Runner Up |
| 4 |
Changi Airport |
Watch and learn more about blood donation and our eligibility to do so. Give blood, save lives! [Civil Defence] |
Social Media Award |
| 5 |
YEY |
A line graph takes us on a journey of Singapore’s ups and downs through the years and how we have grown stronger together through it all. [Social Defence] |
5th Place |
| 6 |
Singanimators |
How can we keep our personal online data safe? Watch the clip to find out more. [Digital Defence] |
6th Place |
| 7 |
Waffling |
A fire breaks out and SCDF personnel rush on site to tend to the fire and those injured. A little girl is inspired by the SCDF paramedics and pays it forward by comforting a little boy. [Civil Defence] |
7th Place |
| 8 |
Soft Boiled Egg Yolk Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts |
When an MRT station is invaded by terrorists, a little girl calls for help via the SGSecure app. [Civil Defence] |
8th Place |
| 9 |
Dragon Fruit Nanyang Polytechnic |
Singapore goes into a hoarding panic as fake news spreads. A superhero saves the day through the education of S.U.R.E and how to detect fake news. [Digital Defence] |
9th Place |
AWARDS AND PRIZES
| STUDENT CATEGORY AWARDS AND PRIZES | |
| Champion |
|
| 1st Runner-Up |
|
| 2nd Runner-Up |
|
| Finalist Teams |
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| YOUTH CATEGORY AWARDS AND PRIZES | |
| Champion |
|
| 1st Runner-Up |
|
| 2nd Runner-Up |
|
| Finalist Teams |
|
| SOCIAL MEDIA AWARD | |
|
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COLLABORATION WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO MENTOR YOUTHS
This year, participants in the Youth Category received online mentoring from leading animation studios such as Industrial Light and Magic, Vividthree Productions, and Singapore Press Holdings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mentoring sessions were all conducted virtually via Zoom. The industry partners and their assigned teams are listed in Table 3 below.
