The Society was pleased to also have two very special guests who were presented with the prizes for the inaugural SCL(S) Essay Competition 2018. This competition was conceived by Bree Miechel (2016-2018 Council Member) who worked closely with Alex Wong (Immediate Past Chair) in driving the initiative. Essays were invited from students aged 28 and below enrolled in universities or other tertiary institutions on construction law topics of interest to the construction industry in South East Asia.

Alex Wong presented the runner up prize of S$500 to Ms Brenda Khoo of SMU, who submitted a paper on the implications and path forward following the Court of Appeal's decision in CKR v Asplenium allowing parties to contractually exclude unconscionability as a ground for restraining calls on unconditional performance bonds.

Bree Miechel presented the first prize of S$2,000 to Mr. Nguyen Sinh Vuong of SMU for his paper titled “Negligence claims for construction defects: Illusory protection?” It takes a comparative approach across common law jurisdictions, in considering the legal recourse available to homeowners for defective construction work in Singapore. Interested members will find Mr Nguyen's winning paper published in this newsletter.