St Gabriel’s Secondary School crowned champion at What’s The News? 2026 Quiz Competition Finals
Singapore, 26 May 2026 - St. Gabriel’s Secondary School has emerged as the champion of What’s The News? 2026, the second edition of the interactive current affairs quiz competition organised by The Straits Times (ST). The grand final saw intense competition among four finalist schools at the SPH Media Auditorium, with Victoria School, School of Science and Technology, Singapore, and Presbyterian High School placing second, third, and fourth respectively.
Guest-of-Honour Ms Jasmin Lau, Minister of State, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Digital Development and Information, presented the prizes to the winners. Collin Soelaiman, 16, Julien Fok Yong Zheng, 15, and Thorsten Ng, 15, from St. Gabriel’s Secondary School took home the $4,000 cash prize and a trophy. Runner-up teams from Victoria School, School of Science and Technology, Singapore, and Presbyterian High School received $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 respectively, as well as a trophy each.
The competition attracted more than 6,000 students from more than 70 schools, including local secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics, and the Institute of Technical Education.
What’s The News? 2026 began with a 30-minute online preliminary round in April. The 16 top-scoring schools then competed in arena-style telematch games in the semi-final held at Our Tampines Hub on 14 May 2026.
In the final, the teams comprising three students each went beyond their textbooks to answer questions about local and global current affairs, in a quiz with classic gameshow elements.
Mr Jaime Ho, Editor of The Straits Times, said, “Over the past 180 years, The Straits Times has taken on a role in our society to not just record the important things that happen in Singapore, which eventually become part of our history. Another function is to be of public service to readers, to help highlight important issues, interpret them through a Singaporean lens, and ultimately to bring Singaporeans together, with both commonly-held truths and the diverse viewpoints that make us so unique. There is no better way to do this than to help all Singaporeans understand the news, and see that it can also be fun.”
As an extension of the competition, a travelling showcase titled “Is AI changing the way you think?” will be located at Bishan Library from 1 to 15 June, Punggol Library from 16 to 30 June, and Jurong Library from 4 to 15 September. Designed to set young people musing about how AI is shaping the flow of online information and influencing people’s real-world interactions, the showcase invites visitors to explore this new technology, which is rapidly becoming an accepted gatekeeper of information, through interactive segments, informative panels, and videos.
What’s The News? is a school programme that aims to pique students’ interest in world news and current affairs and its relevance in their lives. The programme is supported by the Ministry of Education, in partnership with the Central Narcotics Bureau.
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