In 2053, people could be living much longer lives, using new technology and shopping in the metaverse – all part of everyday life. A brand new nationwide storytelling competition, ‘Future Forecast’ – jointly organised by Temasek and The Straits Times (ST) – is now inviting secondary to tertiary level students in Singapore to showcase their creativity, imagination and observations of current trends, and to share their vision of how the world could look like in the year 2053.

From today until 31 July 2023, students can submit their ‘Future Forecast’ in the form of an essay of 1,000 to 1,500 words, an illustration of (one to two A4 pages), or a video of one to three minutes, based on one or more of the following themes: Digitisation, Sustainable Living, Future of Consumption and Longer Lifespans.

Said Ms Chan Wai Ching, Temasek’s Chief Corporate Officer: “The themes in this competition are based on four key structural trends that guide Temasek’s investment focus and long-term portfolio construction. We believe that these trends will lead to innovative solutions that can benefit both people and the planet, and we’re excited for the next generation to be engaging with these important issues through their sense of creativity and critical thinking.”

20 winners will be selected from the two categories: 10 from Category 1 (secondary schools, junior colleges or equivalent*), and another 10 from Category 2 (institutes of higher learning, such as Institute of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities). All winners will not only receive a cash prize of S$1,000 each, but also have the opportunity to attend storytelling workshops conducted by ST and Temasek. Winners from Category 2 will also be invited to take part in a short attachment programme with Temasek.

In addition, the public will be able to show their support by voting for their favourite works after the top 20 have been announced in September 2023. The students behind the highest-voted entries from each category will take home an iPad Pro.

Mr Jaime Ho, Editor of ST, said: “The Straits Times has always sought to encourage conversations in society about our collective future. Here, we hope to bring the younger generation together, not just to acknowledge challenges such as technology-driven disruption and environmental sustainability, but more importantly, also to envision innovations that could bring about solutions to some of these problems.”

Interested participants can visit futureforecast.sg or str.sg/ff2023 for more ideas, prompts, and competition details.

* Includes Integrated Programme, International Baccalaureate and Centralised Institutes