Current affairs get competitive: 16 schools enter semi-finals of ST’s What’s The News? quiz

SINGAPORE – After an intense preliminary round involving more than 6,000 students from over 70 schools, The Straits Times’ current affairs competition What’s The News? has entered the semi-final stage.

Launched in 2025, What’s The News? is an interactive competition that aims to build students’ interest in the news and encourage them to be more discerning in consuming media.

The competition is supported by the Ministry of Education, and the Central Narcotics Bureau is a partner.

The semi-final teams in 2026 span a wide range of students, with secondary schools such as Marsiling Secondary School competing alongside tertiary institutions like ITE College Central and National Junior College.

In the preliminary round, participants answered current affairs questions about Singapore and the rest of the world.

Teams from 16 schools qualified for the semi-finals, where they will compete for a spot in the finals. The winning team will take home a $4,000 cash prize, while the teams in second, third and fourth places will win $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

Participants will not only need to answer questions, but also apply their knowledge in a series of arena-style games.

“The semi-finals of What’s The News? was such a hit last year among students. We expect the energy this year to match that,” ST editor Jaime Ho said.

“The students from last year said they couldn’t imagine that the so-called ‘boring’ news could be re-imagined into a competitive arena. We’ve upped the ante again this year with new games, and I can’t wait to see what they think of them,” he added.

“Ultimately, we want to excite our young people into seeing the news in a different light – that it is quirky, connects people and has a place in everyone’s lives.”

The semi-finals will be held on May 14 at Our Tampines Hub. The top four teams will proceed to the finals on May 26 at the SPH Auditorium.

Not competing? You can still get involved

Outside of the quiz, What’s The News? also brings a travelling showcase to the streets of Singapore to encourage young people to learn more about the world around them.

Titled Is AI Changing The Way You Think?, the showcase explores artificial intelligence’s expanding role in Singapore’s society, and how its use influences people’s thinking and behaviour in the real world.

Visitors can expect to learn more about how the spread of news and information has changed over the years, from the invention of the printing press to modern-day AI-generated news summaries.

The showcase also includes interactive elements such as a mock-up of a teenager’s room, where guests can try to identify everyday items that use artificial intelligence to improve their functions.

Another exhibit invites guests to distinguish between AI-generated and non-AI-generated articles, a skill required to evaluate the trustworthiness of news online as AI generation becomes more prevalent.

The showcase will be available at Bishan Library from June 1 to 15 and at Punggol Regional Library from June 16 to 30. It will be featured at Jurong Library from Sept 4 to 15.

Assembling knowledge for the future

Besides the travelling showcase, students from six selected schools can also look forward to an educational assembly programme hosted by What’s The News? quiz master Rishi Budhrani.

A special guest from ST will also appear at each event to provide the correct answers and give insights about what makes something newsworthy.

Test yourself – would you make it to the next round?

If you believe you are up to date on current affairs, test yourself here by attempting questions from the preliminary round. Alternatively, here are six questions for a quick taste of the competition.