Singapore Young Inventors Bagged 22 Awards at International Invention Competition

Singapore, 27 September 2003 - Singapore has much to celebrate as students from seventeen primary and secondary schools did the nation proud by winning four Gold, ten Silver and six Bronze awards during the 1st International Students' Invention Exhibition 2003, held at Seoul, Korea in July 2003 (please refer to Annex A (35.5KB) for the full listing of the winning entries). In addition, entries from the Nanyang Girls High School and Dunman Secondary School also clinched the prestigious World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)-Special Award and Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation-Special Award respectively.
The award presentation ceremony, organised by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) was graced by Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs and attended by proud parents, teachers and principals. The ceremony showcased all the winners and participants who took part at the inaugural International Students Invention Exhibition 2003.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Associate Professor, Ho Peng Kee, Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs expressed his delight in the students' achievements. Addressing the students, he said "I am extremely proud of our Singaporean students who participated and won awards with their ingenious inventions. I hope that this success will encourage more of our students to come forward with their ideas and participate in similar exhibitions. You have definitely shown that though Singapore is small in size, we are certainly capable of coming up with inventions that impact lives in a big way."
The International Students' Invention Exhibition 2003 organised by the Korean Invention Promotion Association (KIPA) was inaugurated this year with the strong support from eight countries (including Singapore), who sent in a total of 437 entries. The entries were judged by three key judges - Mr James W.Kim, Patent Attorney, International Patent Office, Mr Ki-Ryung (Kevin) Kim, Patent & Trademark Attorney of King Road Patent and Trademark Law Firm and Mr Lee Son Taek, Semiconductor Exam. Div. I Patent Examiner of Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), based on five criteria. (please refer to Annex B (4.9KB) attached). There were two categories of awards conferred at the event - the "Regular" and "Special" awards. For detailed information on the award assessment please refer to Annex C (4.8KB) attached.
Winning the WIPO Special award came as a surprise to Tan Shao Min and Lee Li Ming from Nanyang Girls' High School. They said, "We are a little astonished. We thought our invention was a relatively simple idea and did not expect to win such an important award in an international exhibition."
The Japan Special Award winner, Gabriel Wee from Maris Stella High, was also extremely happy to receive the Gold award for his "Spraymate" invention. He is definitely not going to stop here. "I would like Singapore to host this event in future so as to promote and establish Singapore as a design hub with worldwide design activities. It will also provide opportunity for more students' innovations to gain exposure."
A selection of the inventions will be featured on IPOS' iperckidz website. For more details on IPOS' educational programmes and efforts for schools, please visit www.iperckidz.gov.sg

For media enquiry, please contact:

Ms Angel Khoo
Senior Executive, Media & Marketing Communications
Customer and Corporate Communications Department
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
DID: 6330 2771
HP: 9848 3822
Fax: 6339 0252
Email: Angel_Khoo@ipos.gov.sg

Ms Jennifer Chen
Assistant Director
Media & Marketing Communications
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)
DID: 6331 6548
HP: 93691839
Fax: 63316562
Email: Jennifer_Chen@ipos.gov.sg

About IPOS
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore or IPOS (http://www.ipos.gov.sg) is the lead government agency that formulates and regulates intellectual property (IP) laws, promotes IP awareness and provides the infrastructure to facilitate the greater development of IP in Singapore. With IP fast becoming a critical resource in today’s new economy, IPOS’s vision is to foster a creative Singapore where ideas and intellectual efforts are valued, developed and exploited. Formerly known as the Registry of Trade Marks and Patents, IPOS was established as a statutory board of the Ministry of Law on 1 April 2001.