Wau, design impresses judges

PETALING JAYA: Animator Tan Jin Ho has never flown a kite in his life but his winning idea in Category B of the New Media Award 2002 was based on one. 

IMPRESSIVE INDEED . . . Tan's futuristic kite design was influenced by the 'Star Wads' movies. His entrycame out tops in Catogery B of the New Media Award 2000.

He based his design for a spacecraft on the traditional “Wau” kite. 

“It just naturally occurred to me that a Wau flies and it is a Malaysian creation. It’s a more retro idea. There are some futuristic elements in my design that was influenced by the Star Wars movies,” said the 22-year-old at the prize-giving ceremony at The One Academy on Friday .  

Category B of the two-section contest, organised by The One Academy, Buena Vista International Columbia TriStar (M) Sdn Bhd and The Star, required participants to design a spaceship. 

This is the second time Tan, who is from Petaling Jaya, has won The New Media Award. The first was in 1999 for Toy Story 2. Tan has also won other awards for animation – the Malaysian Video Awards in 2000 and the ComGraph awards for 2000 and . 

The first runner-up for Category B, 30-year-old Terence Toh Chin Eng from Tanjung Bungah, Penang, also used traditional elements in his spacecraft design.  

“I modelled the ship after the orang asli headgear.’’ 

TALENTED TRIO . . . winners of the New Media Award are (from left) Toh, Tan and Lim.

Third prize went to Lim Jenn Yu, 25, of Subang Jaya, Selangor. 

Tan won a round-trip ticket to Honolulu and Hawaii, and he and the other winners received printers, scanners, trophies, certificates of excellence and souvenirs. 

Judges for the New Media Award commented that the three winners had obviously done plenty of research before creating their artwork and had also managed to incorporate the Malaysian identity subtly in their visually impressive pieces. 

Category A of the New Media Award 2002, held last month, was won by Chong Chun Kit, a 20-year-old schoolboy from Kampar, Perak. Contestants were given three hours to show off their creative skills by completing the final panel in a storyboard. The contest was open to secondary school students.  

This year’s New Media Award was held in conjunction with the release of Disney’s latest cartoon, Lilo & Stitch. The contest was jointly organised by Sin Chew Jit Poh, and has the backing of the Multimedia Development Corporation. Epson Trading (M) Sdn Bhd sponsored the prizes. 

The New Media Award was first held in 1998 and is now in its fifth year. The contest aims to nurture creative minds in the field of digital art. 

Printer Friendly | Email This