10 May 2005, Singapore - The Straits Times will be launching its first-ever teenage band talent competition. Called The Straits Times School of Rock, the contest will uncover the hidden musical and vocal talents in our schools.

Fronted by the Life! section and ST's youth magazine IN, the competition will be open to youths between 13 and 19. Auditions will be held during the upcoming June holidays, with the semi-finals and finals held at the Open Plaza of Junction 8 Shopping Centre on July 24 and July 31 respectively.

The top band walks away with $5000 cash and a management contract from talent agency Music and Movement, which is also the event organiser for The ST School of Rock. The second and third prizes are $3000 and $2000 cash respectively, with five consolation prizes, each a $500 shopping voucher sponsored by Capitaland.

The Straits Times Editor Han Fook Kwang said that The Straits Times School of Rock is an excellent way to engage the youth in Singapore.

He said: "The School of Rock follows the successful launch of our IN magazine for teens. While IN encourages students to be interested in current affairs, to appreciate good writing and read The Straits Times, The Straits Times School of Rock is a showcase of youth talent which provides an outlet for creative expression. We want to encourage our students to do well in a wide range of activities.''

The full rules and regulations of the contest, along with the official entry form will be found in Life! (in Wednesday, May 11 edition of The Straits Times) and in IN (Monday, May 16 edition). They willl also be available online from Wednesday, May 11, at www.straitstimes.com.sg.

Issued by Singapore Press Holdings
Co. Regn. No: 198402868E

For more details, please call:

Shahrena Hassan
DID: 6319 5097

Paul Tan
DID: 6319 5204.

About The Straits Times
The Straits Times, the English flagship daily of SPH, has been serving readers for 160 years. Launched on 15 July 1845, its comprehensive coverage of happenings in Singapore, the region and beyond, makes it the most-read newspaper in Singapore. It has a daily circulation of 390,000 and readership of about 1.3 million. The Straits Times' key strength is in its world class coverage of news outside Singapore. With 10 bureaus in major cities around the world, The Straits Times correspondents bring world news
to readers on a Singapore platter, helping them appreciate world events from a Singaporean perspective.