Top two teams in N.E.mation both from Cedar Girls'
Of the top 10 finalists of N.E.mation! 11 this year, three teams were from Cedar Girls' Secondary School.
And two of those three teams took the first and second prizes at yesterday's awards ceremony.
Both had also ranked in the top 10 last year, but neither placed in the top three.
That all changed this year.
Angel Goh, 15, from the winning team MADEit said: "We all put in a lot of effort. They may be our juniors but our relationship really turned better after the three-week production process."
Teammate Gwyneth Tey, 15, added: "It was very nerve-racking, because they made two Cedar teams come to the centre of the stage. We didn't know who it (the winner) was going to be."
N.E.mation! is an annual contest for students to express their thoughts on Total Defence through digital animation.
Finalists covered topics like blood donation, National Service and Total Defence.
They were chosen from a total of 760 entries in September after submitting their story ideas under the theme Together We Keep Singapore Strong.
The winning clip, Our SG Dollar, called attention to the history in Singapore's dollar notes. The team was inspired by a trip to the Monetary Association of Singapore Gallery organised by the N.E.mation committee.
The clip, made mostly using 2-D animation software, features animated versions of scenes on Singapore's currency.
Angel said: "We felt the other contestants were very good, and everyone had a chance of winning."
She, Gwyneth and teammates Nicolle Gan and Wendalyna Lye, broke down soon after the results were announced.
The team will go on a fully sponsored trip to renowned animation studios in the US.
Tanya Lua, 14, from first runners-up cedar3, said: "We'll definitely try again next year and we intend to come back stronger."
The team from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School, [Blank Space], were second runners-up.
One of the judges, art director of THINKKelvin Chan, said: "The winning entries were executed professionally, well thought out and in some instances, very original, tapping on all the right emotions."
He liked cedar3's clip, C02 The Singaporean Blood in Us - which used injected watercolour paints as part of the animation.
Mr Chan said: "The message was precise and the creative approach unique, leaving several judges on the panel thinking, 'Wow, how did they do that?'"
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