A Super Mario Bros-inspired video game, a bot coded to detect early signs of distress, and an engaging Instagram campaign. These were just some of the creative ideas from youths for the inaugural Infocomm Media Club Youth Awards, organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority.

For the awards, secondary school students in infocomm and media co-curricular activities were invited to use their tech and media skills to address the topic of youth mental health. The teams came up with short films, animations, apps and online portals that impressed the judges. From the 249 students across 46 schools who submitted their entries, 12 teams were awarded Distinction in the Tech and Media categories, and won a one-week immersion programme at J.P. Morgan and Bloomr.sg respectively, as well as up to S$750 worth of prizes.

Dr Elmie Nekmat, judge and board member of the Media Literacy Council, was struck by the students’ “deep understanding of and concern for their peers”, while Ms Irene Lim, fellow judge and executive director of J.P. Morgan, noted that there were many innovative projects that exceeded her expectations. She added: “The Awards is a great event to encourage youth to consider the potential of tech and media in making a difference, and a good way to develop talent for the industry.”