From 3D animated comedy to high-definition video documentary, budding filmmakers in schools proved that no genre or medium was too difficult for them to tackle at the Schools Digital Media Awards (SDMA).

More than 300 students and teachers received recognition for their creativity in the production of video, animation and audio at the SDMA 2009 presentation ceremony on Mar 3.

Mr Kenneth Tan, Chief Operating Officer, Media Development Authority and Director, Singapore Film Commission, was the guest of honour for the event.    

Co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Ngee Ann Polytechnic (School of Film and Media Studies), SDMA 2009 attracted 548 student entries, a jump from 423 in the previous year.

A total of 65 awards for the Students' Competition (two Platinum Awards, 20 Gold Awards, 17 Silver Awards and 26 Merit Awards) and six awards for the Teachers' Competition (one Platinum Award, one Gold Award, two Silver Awards and two Merit Awards) were given out at the ceremony.

For the students' competition, participants worked in teams of up to five students with a teacher-facilitator to produce a media product on given themes. They could send in as many as three entries per category - either video, animation, or audio.

In all, 215 schools comprising 100 primary schools, 105 secondary schools, nine junior colleges and Millennia Institute participated in this event. 33 entries were also received in the Teachers' Competition.

Dr Cheah Horn Mun, MOE's Director of Educational Technology, added, "The rich resources developed through this competition can be shared and further enhanced for use in learning and teaching through platforms such as learning communities that are established within and across schools."