Dear ASPAC Family,
We have received a good number of entries from our network for the ASPAC Creative Awards this year and the Awards committee took time and careful thought in looking into each entry. After intensive deliberations, we are happy to announce the following winners:
"Tale of Whales" by the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (China) under the "Exhibit" category;
"MIND S-COOL TV" by The Mind Museum (Philippines) under the "Show" category; and
"Women in Science Competition" by SERIA ENERGY LAB (Brunei) under the "Other Creative Projects" category.
A BIG CONGRATULATiONS to the winners! Below is a note from the Chairperson of the ASPAC Awards Committee, Bobby Cerini of Questacon (Australia) to not only the winners but to all who persevered in keeping the mission of science centers and museums alive during the toughest of times: "To ALL of you who submitted their projects for consideration in this year's awards, we praise you for your efforts in preparing applications and submitting supporting materials, which requires a commitment to telling stories of creativity, relevance and impact. Given the times under which the ASPAC members conceived and rolled out these projects, we have naturally come to expect high levels of creativity amongst the ASPAC family. But we could see from this years' entries how the pandemic has pushed our science centres to achieve new heights. We noted that the key trends in the applications was in the wide range of technologies on display - from VR, AR, holographs, to 3D projection mapping, sensory immersion and AI. There were also significant links in the projects to research of global significance and strong relevance in supporting the SDGs. The formats of delivery have expanded across multiple channels including websites, exhibits, art installations, TV broadcasts, social media, chatbots, mechandise, in-person experiences, competitions, performances, giant science demonstrations, project based learning and leadership, mentoring and collaborative design platforms. Through the projects you submitted, we strongly felt that our member institutions were indeed responding to the pressures and opportunities of the pandemic with tremendous imagination and energy. Regardless of the budget or audience size available to them, we could see that all our participating teams had swung into action and between them, they have reached millions of people globally. And they have made a difference. We should be very proud of these winners but we know it is just the tip of the iceberg. We know every centre in our ASPAC network has done and is still doing amazing things during the pandemic. We would like to congratulate you all for keeping the creative dreams of our institutions, our people and our communities alive and well supported during this time. "***