SINGAPORE - When Yap Yuan Yuan was still in primary school, she watched a school play about the Merlion.

"The Merlion statue welcomes all and there are always people taking pictures with their friends and loved ones at the statue, literally bringing smiles to their faces," recalled Yuan Yuan, now 15 and a National Junior College student.

When she came across an article in The Straits Times inviting readers to reimagine the Merlion on its 50th birthday on Sept 15, the teenager was inspired by the play, as well as the 2021 National Day Parade theme song "The Road Ahead", in her artwork.

Her drawing incorporated mascots of Singapore's public campaigns, such as Community Chest's Sharity Elephant, PUB's mascot Water Wally and Singa the Courtesy Lion.

She said: "I wanted to capture that feeling of just having fun, continuing to do our best in life with our loved ones by our side, in my piece."

Her submission was among 50 chosen from over 300 reader submissions from Sept 15 to 21, with some incorporating beloved Singlish phrases such as "shiok" in their artworks, while others depicting everyday sights on this island nation.

One such artwork, by 12-year-old Nicole Chia, integrated familiar Singapore landmarks, such as the Changi Airport control tower, the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort as well as the dragon playground at Toa Payoh.

"I drew the Merlion by hand and wanted to contrast nostalgic elements next to other fun and modern ones to show how Singapore has evolved," said the Primary 6 pupil, whose artwork was submitted by her father Chia Teck Chong.

"I also added a red plastic bag with the words 'Thank You' printed on to show my gratitude towards Singapore."

Nicole, who was taking her PSLE exams at the time, added that the opportunity to reimagine the Merlion was a healthy outlet to express herself and helped her cope with the stressful period.

"I wanted to take the opportunity to stretch myself to see how far I could go in the recreation of the Merlion in my own imagination and style," she said.

Another artwork among the 50 chosen was senior consultant Lee Foo Hoe's. The 60-year-old's Merlion drawing depicted the tourism icon with a flowing, luscious mane, which symbolised growth, health and strength.

"Our Merlion needs to keep up with the times, so it's good to give it a new modern look," said Mr Lee, who drew his piece on paper before continuing on a tablet.

ST's Art Editor Lee Hup Kheng said: "We were encouraged by the number of entries from readers of all ages and were thrilled to see how they envisioned the globally known icon of Singapore."

The 50 chosen artworks and names of their artists are incorporated in an interactive graphic by The Straits Times at str.sg/50merlion. The artists will each receive a goodie bag that contains Merlion memorabilia.

The 50 readers will be contacted via e-mail on Monday on details for the goodie bag collection.