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National University of Singapore Geographical Society
NUS Geography Challenge 2017
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NUS Geography Challenge 2017 - Creative Component
Overview
The Creative Component aims to encourage students to apply geographical skills (i.e. analysing spatial
scales, data collection, mapping, and fieldwork techniques) and concepts to real-life settings beyond the
classroom. We also aim to allow students to appreciate the relevance of Geography in the world around
them, which may be easily overlooked in their everyday lives. This year’s Creative Component focuses
on the importance of scalar engagement through an exploration of Singapore’s waterscapes, and
encourages students to devise creative suggestions for the future development of these waterscapes.
Theme
The theme for this year's Creative Component is "Waterscapes: Benefits, Threats and Opportunities".
Teams are also required to make clear links to the Geography Challenge 2017 theme “Water in Our
World: Managing Flows in Nature and Society”.
Teams should:
● Select one waterscape to focus on for their research. A waterscape refers to a landscape in which
an expanse of water is the dominant feature. The waterscape can either be man-made (e.g.
swimming pools, reservoirs, water developments etc.) or natural (e.g. rivers, lakes, swamps etc.)
● Evaluate the benefits and threats of the waterscape, and generate creative insights on
opportunities for improvement through two criteria:
○ Perspective - Teams should analyse their waterscape from the point of view of either an
individual or a body of people (e.g. community or organisation)
○ Scale(s) of impact - Teams should analyse the benefits, threats and opportunities of their
waterscape on the local and/or national scale(s).
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Your Task
The Creative Component comprises of 2 sections:
Section A: Fieldwork Infographic (80% of the total grade)
What is an Infographic?
Infographics are visual representations of data and spatial trends. The design of an infographic challenges
students by testing their ability to present information succinctly in a creative and effective manner. All
content should fit within a single, one-sided A2-size paper. A sample of an infographic has been
provided on the next page for your reference.
Suggested Guidelines:
Before embarking on their research, teams should:
● Select an appropriate waterscape in Singapore to carry out their fieldwork
● Select the perspective in which they would evaluate the waterscape from
● Select the appropriate scale(s) to assess their waterscape
● Decide on which fieldwork methods to employ
● Conduct their research at the chosen waterscape
● Use the data collected to substantiate points made in their infographic (data can be obtained from
both primary and secondary sources)
● Students should bear in mind that their ideas should encompass both physical and human aspects
of Geography, following the overarching theme of "Waterscapes: Benefits, Threats and
Opportunities".
Teams are highly encouraged to include illustrations (pictures, tables, maps etc.) in their infographic.
When maps are applicable, teams are encouraged to make use of resources from OneMap Singapore in
their analysis. Various resources are available at www.onemap.sg. Teams are reminded to properly
reference their illustrations and information on the infographic itself and on a separate list of references.
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Infographic Sample (A more detailed version can be found online at www.nusgeographychallenge.wordpress.com)
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Section B: Fieldwork Reflection Video (20% of the total grade)
The reflection video serves as an avenue for students to reflect on their experience in completing the
fieldwork process for the Creative Component. It also challenges them with the task of presenting their
thought process in a clear and concise manner.
The video should contain the following details (this list is non-exhaustive):
● Brief account of their fieldwork process, through pictures and/or video recordings
● Reflections on the completion of the Creative Component
○ Rationale behind the choice of their waterscape
○ Describe and explain their choice of fieldwork methods
○ Reflect on the difficulties faced in their fieldwork process and suggest improvements
The reflection must be presented in a video that is less than three minutes long. Teams are required to
save their video in MP4 format and submit it together with the infographic via thumbdrive. A sample of
a fieldwork reflection video can be found online at www.nusgeographychallenge.wordpress.com.
*Note on Grand Finals:
Schools which qualify for the semi-finals should also prepare a presentation that will be carried out in the
event that they move on to the Grand Finals. The Top 5 teams out of the 52 semi-finalists who advance
into the Grand Finals will be required to present their work in one of the rounds. The presentation should
take no longer than four minutes and must be based solely on the infographic, meaning no other
presentation materials are allowed. The soft copy of the infographic will be screened for the teams on the
projector. The aim of the presentation is to test students' understanding of their research and their ability
to explain their ideas in a succinct and effective manner.
*Note on Open Category Sign-Ups:
Schools that do not qualify through the Preliminary Round for the semi-finals (i.e. not in the Top 50) can
participate in the Open Category of the Creative Component. This year, the Top 2 teams participating
under the Open Category will have a chance to return to the competition and participate in Geo-Trail as
semi-finalists along with the Top 50 teams. Therefore, there will be a total of 52 semi-finalist teams in
GC2017. Interested teams can send an email to nusgeographychallenge@gmail.com to indicate their
interest in participating in the Open Category by 3 March 2017.
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Submission Requirements
All Creative Component submissions must include the following:
Hard Copies Soft Copies in a Thumbdrive (zip file)
1. Infographic ● A2 size ● Printed in colour and laminated ● One-sided and two-dimensional
1. Infographic ● JPEG format ● Not exceeding 50MB
2. Fieldwork Reflection Video ● MP4 format ● No more than 3 minutes long
3. Team photo with all members present ● JPEG format ● Colour, Landscape
4. List of References ● PDF format
*Note: References used in the infographic should also be clearly footnoted on the infographic itself.
Soft Copy Submission:
The submission should be a compressed (zip) file containing the infographic, fieldwork reflection video
and list of references.
Please save all files in the format: “<Name of School>_GC2017”.
Hard Copy Submission:
Submissions should be clearly labelled with the following at the back of the infographic. This
information should not be included in the soft copy infographic.
“CC 2017” Name of School Full Names of all team members Name and contact number of supervising teacher
Students are to omit any information that reveals their school identity or their names on the infographic itself (front face). This is to preserve anonymity when the infographics are uploaded onto the NUS Geography Challenge Facebook page for voting (refer to page 8 for more details).
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Date of Submission: 18 March 2017, Saturday
Time of Submission: 1000 - 1500
Venue: Earth Lab (AS2 #02-03), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore
(beside Humble Origins Cafe)
*Note: The infographic and fieldwork reflection must be done by the members of the team instead of an
externally engaged person. Should it be found that external help has been engaged, the school will be
subjected to disqualification.
Judging Criteria
Section A: Infographic - 200 marks (80% of the total grade)
1. Content (70m)
a. Use of geographical concepts (45m)
There should be in-depth engagement with geographical concepts and points should be explained
appropriately with little or no mistakes. The concepts used should also be linked to one another or
to a central theme, instead of being used in isolation. Teams should also aim to achieve a balance
between both the physical and human geographical aspects of the topic chosen.
b. Relevance (25m)
Geographical concepts used should also be relevant to the topic chosen. The infographic should
also contain relevant visual aids (e.g. graphs, maps, charts) that are actively engaged with in the
infographic and that add value to the points discussed.
2. Substantiation of ideas (40m)
Fieldwork data (e.g. interviews, surveys, measurement of physical properties) should encompass
both physical and human geographical aspects of the topic chosen, and should be consistently
used to support ideas presented in the infographic.
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3. Presentation (60m)
a. Aesthetics/Design (20m)
Infographic captivates and leaves a lasting impression. Excellent use of visuals to present ideas.
Text is easy to read and presented in an appropriate colour scheme.
b. Clarity (40m)
Content is clear and well-structured. Data is well-organised and clearly used to substantiate ideas.
Ideas should be succinct and clear, without ambiguity.
4. Overall Originality of Ideas and Presentation (30m)
Teams should aim to think critically and creatively in their choice of waterscape. Unique ideas
and creative insights are highly recommended. These ideas and insights should also be presented
effectively in a creative and original manner.
Section B: Fieldwork Reflection - 100 marks (20% of the total grade)
1. Presentation (30m)
The visuals (such as photographs and videos) used in the video should be relevant and add value
to their reflections. Students should take note of the sound quality of their videos; the video
should be audible with appropriate choice and volume of music, if incorporated.
2. Description (20m)
Teams are required to showcase and explain the different fieldwork methods they have used and
be detailed in their description of it.
3. Reflections (50m)
Teams are required to explain the rationale behind the choice of waterscape, provide a reason for
their choice of fieldwork methods, assess the various difficulties encountered in the process and
explain how they were overcome. They should also provide potential improvements that can be
made on hindsight and touch on the geographical skills learnt and applied in their project.
Insightful personal opinions should be included as well.
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Prize categories
Best Infographic (Internal Judging)
Judging for the Creative Component will be done independently for two categories: the Top 50 category
(for schools that qualify for the semi-finals through the Preliminary Round) and the Open Category (for
schools that did not advance into the semi-finals through the Preliminary Round but have chosen to
participate in the component). The Top 3 Best Infographics will be selected from the Top 50 category,
and the Top 2 Best Infographics will be selected from the Open Category.
Most Popular Infographic (Public Voting)
The Top 2 teams awarded with the Best Infographics from the Open Category will return to the
competition as semi-finalists together with the Top 50 teams. Submissions from the 52 semi-finalists will
then be uploaded onto the NUS Geography Challenge Facebook page for public voting to select the Top 3
Most Popular Infographics. All Facebook votes must be either a “Like” or a “Love” to be counted, all
other responses will not be considered. The voting period for the Top 3 Most Popular Infographics (from
the 52 semi-finalists) will be from 20 March to 23 March (2359 hours). All votes after this period will
not be considered. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to suspend voting or disqualify any teams
which make use of bots or fake Facebook accounts for voting, if there is any suspicion of unfair conduct.
Voting will take place on our Facebook page, NUS Geography Challenge, at:
https://www.facebook.com/nusgc.
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Rules and Regulations
1. The scores for the Creative Component segment will take up 40% of the Semi-Final scores that
determine the Top 5 teams that enter the Grand Finals.
2. Schools are responsible for ensuring that submissions in the thumbdrives are valid and playable. The
Organising Committee reserves the rights to award zero marks to any submission that fails to comply
with this rule.
3. The content of the infographic and fieldwork reflection must be in English, usage of any other
language(s) must be subtitled in English.
4. The infographic and fieldwork reflection must not contain any material related to violence and nudity,
as well as profanities and images that may be deemed offensive or disturbing to the audience.
5. The infographic and fieldwork reflection should come from the efforts of the participants. Schools that
are found to have sought professional/external help will be disqualified.
6. Each submission must be original and created entirely by entrant. Submissions may include materials
that are in the public domain or for which you have obtained the prior written permission or clearance
from the owner. Submissions must not incorporate or include anything that violates any law or the
copyright, trademark, publicity right, privacy right or any other right of any third party.
7. All information used in the infographic and fieldwork reflection has to be acknowledged in the
references.
8. Students are to omit any information that reveals their school identity or their names on the front face
of the infographic. Schools that do not adhere to this requirement will be asked to edit and re-submit
the soft copy submission to remove the information on the day of submission, 18 March 2017.
9. The deadline for submission is to be strictly adhered to. Late entries will be disqualified.
10. The winning entries will be selected by a panel of judges from the NUS Geography Department and
the Organising Committee of the NUS Geography Challenge 2017. The judges’ decision is final and
no appeals for review of results will be entertained.
11. Schools that do not qualify to the semi-finals from the Preliminary Round, i.e. schools not in the Top
50, are required to send an email notifying the Organising Committee of their interest to participate in
the Open Category of the Creative Component. Please send the required notification email to
nusgeographychallenge@gmail.com by 3 March 2017.
12. All Facebook votes for the Most Popular Infographic category must be either a “Like” or a “Love” to
be counted. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to suspend voting or disqualify any teams
which make use of bots or fake Facebook accounts for voting, if there is any suspicion of unfair
conduct. The Organising Committee’s decision is final and no appeals for review of results will
be entertained.
13. Results of the Creative Component round will be announced during the Grand Finals.
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Contact Details
Should you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at nusgeographychallenge@gmail.com.
Alternatively, you can visit our official Facebook page (NUS Geography Challenge) for updates and to
vote for the most popular infographics. You can also check out our blog at
www.nusgeographychallenge.wordpress.com and follow us on Instagram (@nusgc) for more updates.
Thank you and we wish you all the best!
Sincerely Nicole Annabelle Chin Jia Minn (Miss) Creative Component In-Charge On behalf of the Creative Component Committee NUS Geography Challenge 2017