In January this year, we organised the NUS Co-op T-shirt Design Competition 2022 - For students, by students. Over a hundred students took part, and we were wow-ed by the creativity and variety of designs submitted! There were two segments to the competition - judging from the NUS Co-op panel and the Student’s Pick round.

In the Student’s Pick round, all existing NUS students got to submit their votes for their favourite designs through our interactive voting system. Through a gruelling selection process, we selected 10 winning designs, out of which 7 got produced into t-shirts which are selling at our retail store at Central Forum, LT27 and webstore now.

We interviewed some of our winners for the competition to share their thoughts about their experiences joining the competition:

In photo: Zhimeng wearing her design, TheBestCampusLife

1. What made you interested to join the NUS Co-op T-shirt Design Competition 2022?

Matthew: I came to hear about the competition through a friend and she encouraged me to participate. I got more information about the competition through the email sent to my NUS email. The main reason that got me interested to join was the prize money.

Kaley: I learnt about the competition through my school email and thought it would be fun to do something to take a break from regular school work. The very attractive prizes didn't hurt either!

Theepa: I chanced upon an email announcement regarding the competition and thought why not. I like t shirts and I like designing so I gave it a go. It seemed like a good opportunity that I would regret not trying my hand at.

Zhimeng: I found this competition through an NUS email. I joined this event as I’m always interested in design.

Yuqiu: I found out about the competition through an email. I am always keen on drawing and designing so I decided to give it a try.

Wu Xia: Heard about the competition from an email from NUS Co-op.

In photo: Kaley wearing her design, Go Beyond

2. How did you feel about winning an award from the competition?

Matthew: It definitely felt great to win an award from the competition. I think it was pretty cool that other NUS students can purchase the design I made for NUS Co-op.

Kaley: I'm really happy that someone thought my design was nice, and excited at the thought of seeing it around school.

Theepa: I feel grateful but also nervous about whether the shirt design is something people will resonate with. I really appreciate the avenue to allow us to express ourselves creatively.

Zhimeng: I was excited that I’d be able to see other students wearing my design.

Yuqiu: The only word that can describe my feeling is happy. I was not expecting myself to win so that came as a huge surprise.

Wu Xia: The feeling of being able to sell a piece of my design to everyone in an NUS retail shop is amazing.

In photo: Yuqiu wearing her design, nUS

3. What is your biggest takeaway from the competition?

Matthew: This competition allowed me to explore and unleash the creative side of me as I thought of designs to draw for this competition.

Kaley: It reminded me of the fun of being creative and brainstorming for ideas just for fun's sake, and I hope to embrace this more going forward.

Theepa: My biggest takeaway is to just give everything a shot. It is also a plus if I can have fun in the process. I also recognise that I am basically a fashion designer now.

Zhimeng: The design process was not smooth at first. But as long as I don’t give up (stare at the screen for long enough), inspiration might suddenly pop up.

Yuqiu: To be honest, I was taken aback by all the creativity and artistic skills that other participants offered such that I totally did not expect myself to win. Some were visually artistic, some were meme-like, and I was trying to commemorate the peer support I received in my university days. The designs also depicted that everybody has a different perspective of what is important in their university life. I guess it is about the diversity, the inclusiveness that made NUS so unique and irreplaceable. We must also learn to embrace the diversity of the world around us.

Wu Xia: Happy to see some other good designs.

In photo: Matthew wearing his design, Online University

4. What would you say to students considering taking part in future t-shirt design competitions?

Matthew: Don't be afraid to participate in such competitions, you never know the outcome if you do not take the first step.

Kaley: You can put anything you want on a T-shirt.

Theepa: Submit a design and see what becomes of it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Zhimeng: Don’t worry too much, just do it!

Yuqiu: Don't be afraid, feel free to express yourself.

Wu Xia: Good luck!

The student-designed t-shirts are sold at $26.90 each, and are currently on promotion at 15% off with purchase of minimum 2 shirts from the series.

To purchase them, head over to our retail store NUS Co-op@Central Forum or NUS Co-op@LT27, or visit our website to find out more.