Teen gets the brew right for design prize

Poly student's work will feature on 60,000 cups at coffee festival

Ms Ellen Chee Shaowei's illustration beat 142 other entries for the Singapore Coffee Festival 2017's Design The Cup competition. Apart from being printed on cups distributed at the festival, it will be on display at several cafes prior to the event.
Ms Ellen Chee Shaowei's illustration beat 142 other entries for the Singapore Coffee Festival 2017's Design The Cup competition. Apart from being printed on cups distributed at the festival, it will be on display at several cafes prior to the event. PHOTO: SINGAPORE COFFEE FESTIVAL
Ms Ellen Chee Shaowei's illustration beat 142 other entries for the Singapore Coffee Festival 2017's Design The Cup competition. Apart from being printed on cups distributed at the festival, it will be on display at several cafes prior to the event.
For her winning design, Ms Chee received the $1,000 prize from a representative of Detpak, the official cup sponsor for the SCF, at the DBS Marina Regatta yesterday. PHOTO: SINGAPORE COFFEE FESTIVAL

Temasek Polytechnic student Ellen Chee Shaowei's artwork showing several hands holding different types of coffee has won the Singapore Coffee Festival (SCF) 2017's Design The Cup competition.

The 19-year-old's illustrated design will be printed on 60,000 cups to be distributed at the festival, set to take place from Aug 3 to 6 at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

It will also be on display at several cafes around Singapore prior to the festival, which is organised by The Straits Times (ST) and presented by DBS Bank.

Ms Chee was at the DBS Marina Regatta at The Promontory @ Marina Bay yesterday to receive the $1,000 prize from a representative of Detpak, the official cup sponsor for the SCF.

The communication design diploma student, whose illustration beat 142 other entries, took about two days to complete the artwork. "My original design featured an illustration of a coffee shop, but I decided not to use it because it looked too complicated," said Ms Chee, who drinks coffee during her morning classes.

"I decided to go back to basics and come up with a design that was simpler, yet conveyed the message that different people like different types of coffee, as that's what the Singapore Coffee Festival is all about."

The contest is one of the events leading up to the second edition of the SCF, which will feature more than 60 exhibitors, including coffee purveyors, equipment distributors and cafes. The first day is for trade and media, while the other three days for the public will be divided into two sessions: brunch (10am to 3.30pm) and sundown (4.30pm to 10pm).

  • Coffee festival

  • WHERE: Marina Bay Cruise Centre, 61, Marina Coastal Drive.

    WHEN: Aug 4 to 6 for the public, 10am to 3.30pm and 4.30pm to 10pm daily.

    ADMISSION: Early birds until June 11: $17, $15 (DBS and POSB cardholders, ST subscribers). From June 12: $22, $18 (DBS and POSB cardholders, ST subscribers).

    INFO: www.sgcoffeefestival.com

One of the exhibitors, local chain Jewel Coffee, has a stall at the DBS Marina Regatta, which ends today. Those who buy tickets to SCF at the stall will receive either a free copy of Cafe Sg: A Cafe Lover's Guide To Singapore, or an ST coffee cup.

Early buyers can take part in a contest by posting a coffee flat lay (taken from above) photo on Instagram with a description of a memorable coffee-drinking moment, and the hashtags #sgcoffeefest and #scf17cafehop.

Ten winners will get to take part in a cafe-hopping trail on June 17, where they will learn coffee-making skills and try different cups of the beverage at Chye Seng Huat Hardware, Jewel Coffee and Caffe Vergnano 1882. Go to www. sgcoffeefestival.com or e-mail sgcoffeefest@sph.com.sg

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on June 04, 2017, with the headline Teen gets the brew right for design prize. Subscribe