Curtin Malaysia students win Miri Smart City Tik-Tok Competition

Miri – 24 March 2023 – Three students from Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) have won the Miri Smart City Tik-Tok Competition organised by the After Hours Club, a student-run club at the university comprised of students of various disciplines who share a passion for creative pursuits, particularly in content creation.

The first-place winner of the competition, New Wen Xuen, walked away with a RM1,500 cash prize, while second-place winner Jonathan Tham bagged a RM1,000 prize and third-place winner Priyankavani Maga Nadan received RM700.

The three videos were judged based on the reach and number of views and likes they achieved on Tik-Tok during the contest period. New’s videos garnered almost 500 views in one month, winning praise for the quality of his videos as well as the choice of content which many viewers found interesting and informative.

The Miri Smart City Tik-Tok Competition was funded by Sarawak Information Systems Sdn. Bhd. (SAINS), and was supported by the Miri City Council (MCC). It was one of three initiatives being funded by SAINS to help promote the Miri Smart City Initiative.

The competition was part of ongoing efforts to raise awareness of Miri’s Smart City Initiative aimed at improving public amenities and the delivery of services provided by MCC. The Smart City Initiative includes components such as Digital Signage, SafeCity, Command Centre, e-Local Government (eLA2), Smart Miri, Smart Tourism, Smart MCC, SafePark Smart Drain, Smart Bus, Smart Truck, and the Miri Cares mobile app launched in 2020.

Miri Mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang, who is also a member of the Curtin Malaysia Council,  presented the prizes to the three winners at a simple prize-presentation ceremony at Curtin Malaysia today.

Also present was Curtin Malaysia’s Dean of Learning and Teaching Prof. Tang Fu representing Pro Vice-Chancellor and President Prof. Simon Leunig, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Science Prof. Tuong Thuy Vu, as well as staff of its Faculty of Engineering and Science, Faculty of Business, and School of Pre-University and Continuing Education (SPACE).

The mayor, in his speech during the ceremony, remarked that there needs to be greater awareness of the Miri Smart City Initiative among the general public in Miri, now that the first phase (proof of concept phase) of the initiative with 10 components has been implemented. He highlighted how the Miri Cares mobile app, in particular, can be of great benefit to the public and ensure that the city council continues to provides prompt and efficient service to the public.

He commended the three students on the quality and popularity of their videos, saying they have been very helpful in promoting the Miri Cares app, and also thanked Curtin Malaysia, SAINS and Riam Institute of Technology (Riamtec) for their ongoing efforts to promote the Miri Smart City Initiative in collaboration with the MCC.

Curtin Malaysia will be organising two more events, namely the ‘Interview the Mayor’ programme which will be conducted by students from its Faculty of Business, and the Smart City Treasure Hunt scheduled at the end of June 2023. The Treasure Hunt is being jointly organised by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Curtin Malaysia Student Branch, IMechE (Institution of Chemical Engineers) Curtin Malaysia Student Chapter and the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Miri Branch.

Overall, SAINS has allocated RM25,500 to Curtin Malaysia to help organise and promote the three events.

For information on Curtin Malaysia, visit curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or Tik-Tok.

Mayor Adam Yii (2nd left) and Prof Tang with the three winners