SINGAPORE (AP) — Thirty-seven Singapore students survived a three-day challenge equipped with nothing but a laptop and a little cash.
A group of 19- and 20-year-olds who called themselves "The Architects" won the competition and earned a laser printer, magazine subscriptions and international adapters for their laptops.
Inspired by the television program "Survivor," teams had to complete such tasks as assembling a computer from parts and hacking into a special e-mail account set up by organizers, said Vincent Tay, an official for the Northeast Community Development Council.
The contestants, ranging in age from 14 to 20, all lasted to the end. Their biggest challenge was ordering food through Web sites as the Internet was their only link to the outside world.
They lived in teams of three or four in 10-by-13-foot cubicles containing only a table, chairs and sleeping bags.
Participants got a break a day to shower and use the restroom, but they had to go as a group, he said. They were also limited to spending the equivalent of about $70.