Your Singapore Experience Contest

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The Your Singapore Experience contest was Singapore’s invitation to the world to come and visit and experience for themselves Singapore as the country really is. The highlight of the competition was a chance for winners to travel and meet personalities in Singapore from a field of their choice, from musicians and filmmakers to business leaders and academics.

The online contest, organised by the Singapore government, was launched in August 2007 and lasted for five months. The competition was open to non-Singaporeans, and non-Singapore Permanent Residents living abroad.

For the first contest, participants were asked to describe an aspect of Singapore that they admired or found interesting, and would like to experience for themselves in Singapore. They were asked to submit their answers in the form of a text, photo or video essay. More than 400 entries from around the world were received.

In January 2008 seven winning entries were picked by a panel of judges comprising community leaders, academics and writers.

[edit] Winners’ Trips to Singapore

Winners of the Your Singapore Experience Contest travelled to Singapore on a customised, all-expenses paid, trip. During the visit they experienced for themselves, the many different facets of the island state, including tours to places of cultural interest.

Most importantly, the winners met and interacted with Singaporean personalities from a variety of fields – arts / culture, business, civil society, education, finance, government / public sector, hospitality / tourism, information technology / digital media and science.

For a deeper insight into everyday life in Singapore, the contest winners also visited more than the normal tourist attractions. Some of these included an exhibition on urban planning at the Singapore City Gallery, a neighbourhood town centre and even a visit to a typical HDB (Housing and Development Board) flat.