Ten Straits Times readers walked away with tickets to this year's National Day Parade (NDP), after they posted their meditations on Singapore's past, present and future on Instagram.
The #myfuturesg contest, which ran from July 4 to 18, called upon readers to post a triptych of images. The first should represent the past, the second the present, and the third their hopes for the future.
Readers rose to the challenge with themes that spanned urban greenery, public transport and even coffee.
The 10 winners got a pair of tickets each to this year's NDP at the National Stadium, while runner-up contestants got tickets to preview shows on July 23 and last Saturday.
Housewife Simone Lee, 49, was among the 10 winners, having devoted a couple of hours to drawing her contest entries on digital programme Paint.net.
Her three illustrations linked the majie, or Chinese maidservants who served families between the 1930s and 1970s, with the foreign domestic workers of today, and robot servants in the future.
"If there were affordable robots, I wouldn't need to do the housework on my own and it would be more relaxing for me," she said.
Civil servant Yvonne Ng, 34, juxtaposed classic Chinese comics against the colourful cartoons of the present. The old comic strips she photographed were a gift from her father-in-law, in the hope that her sons, aged three and seven, would grow up reading them.
Although she envisioned a future where such comics would be digitised and read on tablet screens, she wrote: "As long as we do not stop reading, the allure of the comic strip will continue to bond many generations in Singapore."
For some winners, the contest offered their first opportunity to watch the annual parade.
Junior college student Russell Ong said he had always wanted to attend an NDP, but never had the chance until now. "You don't really see another occasion like this in Singapore," said the 17-year-old, adding that his favourite part is when all the spectators join in in song at the end.
For others, the year would not be complete without a front-row seat to the festivities.
Madam Tan Beng Bee, an assistant manager at a bank, is already spending four weekend afternoons this year as a volunteer usher at the National Stadium.
On Aug 9, the 59-year-old will get to usher herself to a seat in the audience. She said: "I just love NDP. I've been involved in five shows. I enjoy volunteering there because it allows me to meet people and give back to society."
