Mediacorp disqualifies 3 entries from design competition following plagiarism claims

Mediacorp announced that it has disqualified three entries from its design competition Design Pompipi after it was discovered that they were stolen from Singapore-based artist Lee Xin Yi and lifestyle store Supermama.

The plagiarism claims were first raised by Lee in a Facebook post on Jan 3 where he listed the plagiarised works that were uploaded by a participant named Sabiyathul.

Lee wrote: "From Mediacorp’s This Is Our SG60 Competition: Works taken (stolen) from myself and others such as Supermama, uploaded for a competition. What’s new?"

In 2024, Lee's artwork was used without permission and edited with artificial intelligence for a mural at Shifu Food Court in Bras Basah Complex.

In his post, Lee also took issue with some of the terms and conditions of Design Pompipi, highlighting one that stated that the rights of all submitted entries will belong to Singapore-based media network Mediacorp.

"That’s where one of the major problems is by accepting such entries," wrote Lee.

One of Mediacorp's initiatives to commemorate Singapore's 60th year of independence, Design Pompipi invited the public to design a graphic – sharing what Singapore or SG60 meant to them. 

The artists behind the top six most-voted designs in the main category will win a cash prize of S$2,000 and Caltex StarCash vouchers of S$100 each. Submissions for the competition ended on Jan 5.

In a statement to CNA Lifestyle, a Mediacorp spokesperson said: "We thank all members of the public who participated in Mediacorp’s Design Pompipi competition for their support.

"By submitting their entries, participants agree to the competition’s terms and conditions, which include requiring all designs to be original and not having been generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI). While there is no foolproof method to verify if designs were plagiarised or created using AI at the point of submission, we will disqualify such entries as and when they are discovered.

"On this, we have reviewed email feedback from a member of the public, sent on Jan 5, regarding the entries listed in [Lee Xin Yi's Facebook post]. We have since taken down and disqualified these entries, as well as informed the participants in writing that their entries have been disqualified."

In a follow-up post on Tuesday (Jan 7), Lee revealed that he had received an e-mail apology from Sabiyathul. He added that other artists have disclosed to him that their works were also stolen and submitted to Design Pompipi.

"I also advise looking at the terms and conditions of any contest and competition including this and be cautious about submitting entries for such competitions," wrote Lee.

"I will also remind everyone that these plagiarised works happened under the organisers’ watch and execution, and remained there until the public sounded out. You do not need a public reaction to do the right thing."