Ong Sor Fern shortlists Singapore's 30 promising talents under 30.

30 under 30.

It was a catchy concept. As the Life! team brainstormed about what would make a great cover story for the inaugural issue of a revamped Life! section, this was the idea that we came back to as the best way to relaunch with a bang.

The idea was to find 30 talents in all the various fields that Life! covers - everything from the arts and entertainment to food and fashion. The catch - they all had to be under 30 years of age.

Sounds easy to do, right?

But as we put together the initial lists, we realised it was more challenging than we had thought.

The beat reporters, all passionate advocates of their own fields, threw up more names than we could fit in. There were several intense discussions before we trimmed the list down to the final 30.

One of the best things we discovered from assembling this package is that young Singaporeans are far more adventurous, a great deal more individualistic and much more entrepreneurial than we give them credit for.

They are unintimidated by the unknown. Many took the plunge by abandoning the paper chase in school to follow careers in areas where hard work is demanded and the financial rewards are few. Let's face it, how many of us are willing to give up a cushy 9-5 job in air-conditioned comfort to slave away for 16 hours in a hot kitchen like chef Jason Tan did?

And it is heartening to see young Singaporeans pursuing their passions with such dedication. Highlighting their achievements is the least Life! can do.

Who do you think should make the cut? Comment and post your suggestions.