Mediacorp disqualifies 3 designs from competition, illustrator Lee Xin Li’s work plagiarised again

SINGAPORE – Three illustrations submitted to a Mediacorp design competition have been removed from the media company’s website and disqualified after they were found to have been stolen.

Launched in December 2024, the Design Pompipi competition sought original graphic designs from the public that illustrate people’s love for Singapore and what the Republic’s 60th birthday in 2025 means to them.

Winners receive a cash prize of $2,000 and Caltex vouchers worth $100. The winning designs will be featured on merchandise including T-shirts, tote bags and canned drinks.

But Singapore independent illustrator Lee Xin Li and lifestyle store Supermama found their creations uploaded to Mediacorp’s website without their knowledge, submitted by a participant who went by the name of Sabiyathul.

Both did not take action, though Lee took to Facebook to voice his complaint. Mediacorp said a member of the public e-mailed the company on Jan 5 to alert it to the fraud.

Besides theft, works created by artificial intelligence (AI) are also not eligible.

Mediacorp said in a statement of its vetting process: “While there is no foolproof method to verify if designs were plagiarised or created using AI at the point of submission, we will disqualify such entries as and when they are discovered.”

This is not the first time that illustrations by Lee – whose commissioned mural adorns the Central Public Library’s entrance at the National Library building – have been pirated.

His detailed renditions of Singapore scenes and objects have been frequently sold on e-commerce websites and used for commercial purposes without permission.

In October 2024, Shifu Food Court in Bras Basah Complex

apologised after it featured a wall decal that plagiarised Lee

.

The artist also took the opportunity with this latest debacle to question the terms and conditions of contests like Design Pompipi, which grants Mediacorp absolute ownership rights to all designs that have been submitted.

Though it is unclear if an organiser would own the rights to a stolen design, Lee says this ought to be “brought up to the public’s and creative community’s notice”.

“For members of the creative community like myself, both are serious matters: plagiarism and ownership of artwork,” he said, adding that incidents of art thefts have increased for him over the last three years.

Supermama says it will not be taking action as SG60 is a celebratory event, though it has also registered its plagiarised design to ensure its protection.

The shop works with home-grown designers to create souvenirs, porcelain and other housewares.

Both the artistic and literary community have found control over the fruits of their creative labour increasingly precarious in recent years, with their art or books uploaded to train AI tools that will impact their trade.

Lee’s post prompted nearly 40 comments that called for greater respect for writers and artists by large institutions.