Date: 22 July 2023

Dear Editor

The 6^th Singapore Cancer Society Interschool Competition Awarded 4 Student Projects To Strike Out Cancer

• On 22nd July 2023, 6 shortlisted student groups pitched their projects during a live judging at the Singapore Cancer Society Interschool Competition.
• 161 entries from over 16 tertiary institutions across Junior Colleges, ITEs, Polytechnics and Universities competed in this year’s competition.
• The winning groups consisted of students from NUS, SMU, SUSS, RI, JPJC.

SINGAPORE, 22 July 2023: Singapore Cancer Society’s (SCS) annual Interschool Competition (ISC) for full-time tertiary students held its award ceremony for the 6th year on 22nd July 2023. ISC was kickstarted in 2018 as part of SCS’ endeavor to drive awareness about cancer among youths from ITE, Polytechnic, Junior College, and University.

Every day, 44 Singaporeans are diagnosed with cancer, and 16 Singaporeans die from cancer everyday (Source: Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Registry Report 2020).

ISC aims to drive cancer awareness by empowering students with the necessary knowledge and harnessing the power of social and digital media to engage in impactful peer-to-peer advocacy while promoting healthy lifestyle choices. In addition, ISC offers a valuable platform to conceptualise and execute creative deliverables as integral components of their campaigns, fostering their innovative spirit and amplifying the reach of their initiatives.

Mr Lee Meng Tat, Chairman of SCS, said in his speech, “We recognise that education is the key to minimizing cancer in our communities. By participating in the Interschool Competition, students not only have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and talent but also contribute to a meaningful cause. The winning teams will collaborate with SCS to execute their campaigns during major campaign months. Through their dedication and hard work, these young champions will amplify cancer awareness and inspire their peers to make positive, informed choices.”

About ISC 2023
With a focus on Breast Cancer and Lung Cancer for ITE, Junior College and Diploma Students as well as Cervical Cancer and HPV infection for Undergraduate students, ISC 2023 is a platform for youths to take charge of their health through increased awareness about risk factors of the respective cancers and the availability and benefits of the HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening options. Youths also get to work on real-life campaigns and contribute to the cancer cause by partaking in peer-to-peer advocacy and guidance towards a healthy, smoke-free life. This year, the theme Strike Out Cancer represented SCS’ objective to empower students with the right knowledge and confidence to engage in peer-to-peer advocacy of conscious, healthy lifestyle choice and minimize cancer and maximize lives.

ISC Award Ceremony
A total of 161 entries across the different tertiary institutions were received. 6 entries were shortlisted to present at the ISC Award Ceremony on 22nd July where judges – Bryan Choo (Chief Executive Office at TheSmartLocal), Kim Hye Kyung (Associate Professor, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Associate Editor for the Journal of Health Communication at Nanyang Technological University) and Dr Philip Eng (Senior Consultant Respiratory Physician, Associate Professor of Medicine at National University of Singapore, and Visiting Consultant at Singapore General Hospital) – graded their presentation to choose the ultimate winner.

The winners of Singapore Cancer Society’s Interschool Competition 2023 from the Undergraduate Category are Mok Xiao Rou (Singapore Management University) and Ryan Leong (National University of Singapore). For the ITE, Junior College, and Diploma Category, the winner is Micaela Toh Ming Le (Raffles Institution).

The ceremony also awarded a People’s Choice Award to Gui Ging Yi from Singapore University of Social Sciences and Jolin Choong, Liang Yuhan and Serene Ang Xin Ning from Jurong Pioneer Junior College. The People’s Choice Awards were chosen based on the highest Instagram likes and comments. This is in line with the intention of the competition to raise cancer awareness amongst youths.

The ISC Award Ceremony was also attended by Singer and Singapore Cancer Society Goodwill Ambassador Glenn Yong who performed and shared a speech for the students at the award ceremony. Actor Noah Yap gave a speech to drive awareness on the harms of tobacco smoking and to encourage the youths to continue living a health, smoke-free lifestyle Singapore Idol star Taufik Batisah also shared his congratulations to the winners and encouraged the youths to be empowered and take charge of their lives though a pre-recording.

ISC 2023 Overwhelming Response
In 2023, there was an increased number of submissions this year – 161 entries from over 16 tertiary institutions this year, as compared to 40 entries in 2022.
Youths also showed an increase in interest in the cancer cause as a total of 256 students signed up to attend a briefing to learn full details about the competition and educational information about the various cancer topics that they are tasked to take on.
There was also an increase in the number of sign-ups for the award ceremony with 129 sign-ups, as compared to 87 attendees at the award ceremony in 2022.

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About Singapore Cancer Society
Established in 1964, the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) is a self-funded social service agency which provides care services to cancer patients in need in areas such as cancer control and prevention, patient support services, and palliative care. SCS key services include cancer screening programmes, public education, financial and welfare services, psychosocial support, rehabilitation programmes and hospice care. For more information, please visit www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg