Using only a few shades of colour pencils but a stellar amount of creativity, 10-year-old Wendy Lee completed an artwork that won her a $500 cash prize in The Straits Times "In This Together" Daily Colouring Challenge.
The Primary 5 pupil and her civil servant father Vincent Lee are among 70 winners selected from more than 12,000 entries in the seven-day contest that started on May 18 and was sponsored by life insurance company Prudential. This was the second ST colouring contest after the first was held last month.
Wendy had "exhausted a whole box of colour pencils" on the previous #STayhome #STaysafe challenge, but was determined to make the most of what materials she had left for this round.
Choosing to work on the artwork for the first day's challenge, which depicted a "galactic battle" against the coronavirus, she and her 44-year-old father covered a deflated rubber ball with aluminium foil to create the form of a 3D coronavirus particle, which she attached to the drawing.
As a finishing touch, she pasted shiny silver sequins from an old shirt all over the inky black sky.
Like the duo, many contestants dug into their creative reserves and used a variety of materials to colour the seven visuals by ST artists.
Mr Geoff Tan, head of content marketing at Singapore Press Holdings and one of the judges, said he was impressed by how participants went the extra mile to "inject dynamism into their colouring".
"The 3D effects, tasteful embellishments and inclusion of intricate details shone through their submissions," he said.
Undergraduate Amulya Mathur, for instance, spent about five hours on her winning entry, which comprised many tiny dots drawn with crayons and markers.
"At first I was like, oh no, the page is so big," the 19-year-old said with a laugh. "But I began enjoying the process, which was kind of meditative. I was watching my thoughts more, and it drew me away from the stress I was facing from university work."
A mosaic-inspired effort clinched a win for interior designer couple Chan Chee Kwong, 39, and Agnes Chan, 40, and their six-year-old daughter Laura. "We hope the rainbow colours send a positive message - like there will be a rainbow after the rain," said Mrs Chan.
For other winners, serendipitous strokes of ingenuity made their work stand out. For example, drawings of injection needles in the artwork for the first day's challenge inspired Primary 5 pupil Dayna Zaidi, 11, to embellish her colouring with needles and metal studs from her mother's sewing box.
Another winning entry was a "coffee painting" by Mr Christian Micu, a Filipino civil engineer working here. The 25-year-old said he was having breakfast and brainstorming ideas for the colouring when it hit him: "Hey, why not use my coffee?"
He was also influenced by memories of his boyhood in the Philippines, where he watched street artists paint with instant coffee, Milo, and once, even a magnifying glass and sunlight.
"Winning this challenge is a huge help to me," said the 25-year-old, whose income has been cut since the construction site he works at closed last month.
"It was the perfect opportunity that came at the perfect timing."
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
Challenge 1
Sharyl Lam
Dayna Zaidi
Vincent Lee
Chiang Yok Wah
Cheryl Kam
Teo Aik Cher
Wong Chek Poh
Wendy Choo
Fernanda Wee
Audrey Tan
Challenge 2
Soh Rui Ting
Ng Chee Choy
Tay Ee Yan
Christian James Micu
Enya Lee
Lim May Ping Sarina
Chan Chee Kwong
Wee Yong Hui
Lim Xin Hui
Yap En Teen
Challenge 3
Torazo Tokuda
Amos Yeo Desheng
Ruby Guan
Odelia Yap
Sarah Tan Xuan Lin
Joseph Yeoh
Rohaya Mustapha
Jorraine Lim
Amulya Mathur
Thalia Lim
Challenge 4
Ng Ai Peng
Tengku Tiara Laetisha
Mary Anne Peattie
Shawn Ho
Juliet Toh
Koh Mui Sang Pauline
Natania Tan
Lau Lee Chian
Rusdiany
Shaun Chiang
Challenge 5
Chur Kian Chong
Alvin Chia
Chong Chung Meng
Michele Lee
Leong Chao Yang
Angelyn Chew
Chong Pei En
Jarrett Wee
Martin Lee Choy
Ow Kian Wei
Challenge 6
Tan Soh Hui
Rohit Suresh
Georgina Gray
Michael Saw
Yong Sam Yee
Ashley Teh
Chen Minjie
Wong Yew Chung
Ang Wai Lin
Jacqueline Chiam
Challenge 7
Rachel Chiang
Marilyn Chew
Shaun Lim Jun Jie
Goh Min Yan
Joan Lai
Chow Kien Yew
Teo I-Jen
Lukas Minghui Hoppe
Huin Kim Lian
Gigi Lo