As part of a campaign to educate the public on the importance of preventing water pollution, the Ministry of the Environmenta organised a poster design competition open to all residents of Singapore. The brief was to create design on "how or why we should keep our water clean" in a poster size measuring 38-by-52 cm.

The winning designed by Tham Keng Hoong features a photograph of a girl drinking a glass of water using a multi-prism lens and a cross-screen filter that caught the sparkle in the glass. The image was then rendered in a linear graphic style with the caption "Clean Water is Safe".

"Most people used paints for posters. I believe that a poster should be dramatic, eye-catching and unique. It must make an instant impact," said Tham in an interview with The Straits Times.

For his effort, Tham took home the S$1,000 prize money.

Collection of the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library