KUCHING: Swinburne Sarawak computer science student Elwin Chan Kok Wei won a consolation prize in the 2020 Maybank Foundation-Perdana Leadership Foundation Writing and Photo Contest ‘Empowering Youth for a Better Asean’.
Chan, who is also Swinburne Sarawak Green Club vice-president, said he was delighted to be one of the consolation winners in the Fiction English Category B.
“I never thought that I would ever win anything in a writing contest, as I’m someone who likes to read but rarely dares to write.
“As I’m not a good writer, I had to spend my time and effort on writing, revising and editing to produce a good story.”
His short story titled ‘The World at 50°C’ is set in a dystopian world in which sea levels have risen to such heights that only the peaks of the Petronas Twin Towers are visible and global warming has made the atmosphere almost unliveable.
The protagonist, a human-android hybrid, works in Borneo Highlands where his job is to plant as many trees as possible to increase oxygen levels.
Swinburne Sarawak Green Club members were encouraged to take part in the contest as its theme ‘Climate Action’ was relevant to the club’s objectives.
The contest aimed to encourage and reward articulate and creative expression via writing or photographs along with raising awareness on environmental issues.
It also seeks stories, essays and photos that would inspire youths to reflect on shared environmental concerns.
