The HUB Auditorium was packed wall-to-wall with students Friday at the 21st annual Asian Student Commission (ASC) Talent Show.

Returning guests and participants from last year noticed a few changes made to this year’s show. Notably, the 12 acts all competed for the newly-added $300 grand prize.

“We’re changing it up this year,” ASC director and show coordinator Paul Boupha said.

Boupha was the assistant coordinator last year.

“We’ve turned the showcase into a competition with a cash incentive,” he said. “The $300 will be used toward an event the winning association decides to put on.”

The cash incentive brought a new energy to the event.

“Last year 10 acts auditioned to fill 11 spots,” Boupha said. “This year 16 acts auditioned to fill 12 spots. It’s really popular this year. I’ve never seen the auditorium this packed.”

Each of the culturally diverse performances captivated the audience in a different way. The audience members waved their arms and held up glowing cell phones during a piano duet act representing the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, and roared with laughter and cheers during the Thai Student Association’s Matrix sports performance.

Another change to the talent show included a panel of three judges responsible for rating the performances and narrowing down the 12 acts to three finalists.

“I was really impressed,” talent judge Sabrina Fields said. “Everyone was unique and really talented. It wasn’t hard to give out fives.”

The final, and perhaps most important judge, was the audience. Of the three finalists, the winner was determined by who received the loudest cheers.

The three finalists chosen were yo-yo expert Eric Wu, beat-boxer Brian Tilos and singer Clairbel Novelo. Wu won by only a few decibels and earned his association, the Filipino American Student Association, the $300 grand prize.

While this year’s talent show introduced a new level of competition, the main goal and mission of the event remained unchanged: to develop student unity, cultural awareness and to simply have some fun.

“We’ve heard some of the other performers, and they’re really good, but we’re just doing it for the ladies,” said Bunthoeun Real, a senior and front man for his band Bunthoeun and the Jimmy Jons.

The trio, representing the Khmer Student Association, put together a last-minute act — a Jason Mraz tune over a harmony of guitar and ukulele.

“We’ve only been practicing for a week, so we don’t expect to win,” Real said.

Like previous years, the lobby outside the auditorium was flanked with tables from each association, making up the “Night Market.” It was here that food and beverages were bought and sold. Among other treats were humbows, lumpias, bubble tea and different kinds of sodas from the associations’ native countries. Representatives from the groups also passed out literature and drew awareness to upcoming events and philanthropic activities.

“Overall, the event went great,” Boupha said.

Reach contributing writer Eric Staples at development@dailyuw.com.