ACE 2023 A Dazzling Showcase of Creative Brilliance at APU's SoMAD

The Awards for Creative Excellence (ACE) 2023, an eagerly awaited annual event hosted by the School of Media, Arts and Design (SoMAD) at the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), reached its grand conclusion in a blaze of glory, bringing together students and staff in a vibrant celebration of the school's most creative minds.

On December 1st, 2023, this prestigious award ceremony left an indelible mark on the academic journey of its attendees, enchanting them with captivating performances. The victors of the night walked away with trophies and prizes that symbolised their outstanding achievements in 2023.

The festivities kicked off with an enthralling opening speech by Professor Ts Dr. Murali Raman, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development & Strategy) of APU. More than 100 participants, comprising APU students, staff, and Heads of Schools, were spellbound by the professor's words.

Sponsored by Marigold and Respack, the 2023 event was meticulously supervised by SoMAD's lecturer, Mr Chua Soo Han, with Aryan Chandrakant Barure, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Animation student, at the helm as the Project Leader.

ACE 2023 served as a platform to honour students who showcased exceptional creativity and talent, achieving success throughout the academic year of 2023. The highest accolades were bestowed upon Valentina Song Pei Sing, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Animation graduate, and Bryan Teh Yea Quan, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Industrial Design student. Both were crowned with the most prestigious Creative Excellence Award, in recognition of their academic excellence and positive attitude.

Khor Yong Hui, an industrial design student, earned the title of Best Role Model Student for her active participation in school events while maintaining an impressive academic score. The remaining accolades included Best Improvement, Best Supportive, Best Master’s Degree, Best Bachelor Degree, and Best Diploma students.

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A special award was dedicated to the "Lestarial Initiative," a team of students and lecturers that contributed to the development of the LORIAM sustainable material and its product, with a soft launch during the World Industrial Design Day 2023.

Beyond the awards, the evening was further enriched with mesmerising performances by students. Musical bands like Blue Night, Empty Wallets, Kugiran Salamancas, ONO, S3asons, the Sixth Sense, and Trio took the stage. Solo performances were presented by Chuah Zhi Liang and Yap Jun Yue.

In short, students and performers alike revelled in the event, with award winners concluding the year with a profound sense of pride and accomplishment.

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Notably, the trophies used for the award ceremony were all designed and produced by industrial design students at SoMAD, truly making them "homemade" masterpieces. The ACE 2023 undoubtedly marked a spectacular celebration of creativity and achievement within the APU community.