On 26 Aug 2023, three teams from Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) took home the first, second and third prizes for Engineering Innovation Challenge (EIC) 2023 amidst stiff competition from 137 local and international teams. The award ceremony was held at ITE College Central鈥檚 Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre on the last day of National Engineers Day (NED) 2023. The award ceremony was graced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.

The theme of this year鈥檚 EIC was 鈥�Shaping a Circular Economy through Engineering鈥�, which tasked youth participants with developing design prototypes to enhance the resilience of city living in Singapore. Each team was mentored by both a teacher mentor from HCI and a practicing engineer from the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES).

The champion team proposed an eco-friendly solution for pharmaceutical packaging through the development of biodegradable starch-based plastic packaging from food waste.聽

> 鈥淭his competition was a fantastic learning experience for our team. Our experience working with starch-based bioplastics has taught us that even the humblest solutions can have big impacts!鈥�
Ling Jun Quan 23S6G聽

The winning teams are as follows:

1st Place: J-17 - Development of Biodegradable Pharmaceutical Packaging with Starch-Based Plastic
Ling Jun Quan 23S6G聽
Jack Low Ee Jin 23S6J
Poon Wai Yew Gabriel 23S6G聽
Wong Li Song 23S67聽
Teacher mentor: Pang Biaojin

Champion team J-17 receiving their prize from Mr Heng Swee Keat

2nd Place: J-19 - Assessment of Wave Attenuation Devices in Coastal Erosion Management
Tan Tian Fei 23S69
Cai Yuxuan 23S6H
Alisha Koay Pei Zhen 23S6F
Teo Wan Kee 23S7D
Teacher mentor: Pang Biaojin

First runner-up team J-19 receiving their prize from Mr Heng Swee Keat

3rd Place: J-18 - BotaniCube
Li Lingbo 23S6G
Wu Qinghui 23S6H
Zhang Bo 23S6H聽
Zhang Songyang 23S7B
Teacher mentor: Ang Yong Qin

Second runner-up team J-18 receiving their prize from Mr Heng Swee Keat