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National Arts Council

President's Challenge appoints 12 arts and cultural leaders to champion multiculturalism through the arts

15 July 2026

12 distinguished arts and culture leaders have been appointed to the President's Challenge Multiculturalism Panel (PCMP), underscoring Singapore's continued commitment to nurturing a shared Singaporean identity enriched by our multicultural traditions through the arts.

Appointed by the President’s Challenge, the Panel comprises representatives from across the arts sector, from Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award recipients to leading arts practitioners and educators, ensuring the arts industry and community play a meaningful role in championing and shaping multicultural arts developments in Singapore. The Panel will play a key role in identifying areas for learning and growth in the multicultural arts scene, and in reviewing and endorsing programmes that support arts practitioners and organisations across diverse disciplines to deepen their craft and expand their practice across cultural boundaries.   

2            Central to this is the $20 million Multicultural Arts Programme (MAP) Grant, funded by the President's Challenge and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). As announced at MCCY’s Committee of Supply debates this year, the MAP Grant will support individual practitioners and arts organisations in developing projects anchored in Singapore’s multicultural context, whether rooted in a single cultural tradition or inspired by cross-collaboration across different traditions to forge new artistic expressions. Audiences can also look forward to more quality arts experiences that reflect our diverse heritage. Applications across all art forms are now open until 15 September 2026. The Panel will provide strategic advice on the implementation of the MAP Grant and guide initiatives in multicultural arts.

3            President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said, “We are evolving our multiculturalism. It will have to grow naturally, not match a set template, as artists take forward their own traditions, create together, and sometimes even cross over to master another culture. What hopefully emerges in time will be a deeper, and distinctly Singaporean, multicultural identity.”  

4            The PCMP is co-chaired by Permanent Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, Teoh Zsin Woon, and Dr Venka Purushothaman, President of LASALLE College of the Arts. Alongside them, ten arts leaders with deep expertise across diverse art forms and cultural traditions — ranging from traditional dance and music to theatre, literary and visual arts – form the full panel. They are:

  1. Meenakshy Bhaskar, Young Artist Award recipient (1996); Artistic Director, Bhaskar’s Arts Academy

  2. Boo Junfeng, President’s Challenge Council Member; Young Artist Award recipient (2009); Filmmaker, Creative Director for NDP 2018, 2021 and 2025

  3. Dr Azhar Ibrahim, Senior Lecturer (Department of Malay Studies), National University of Singapore 

  4. Kok Heng Leun, Cultural Medallion recipient (2022); Theatre director, Playwright, Dramaturg, Educator

  5. Dr Susie Lingham, Artist, Writer, Curator

  6. Felix Phang, Musician, Composer and Educator; Founder of Pasat Merdu

  7. Dr Suriani Suratman, President’s Challenge Council Member; Senior Lecturer (Department of Malay Studies), National University of Singapore; Ceramic artist

  8. Yvonne Tham, CEO, The Esplanade Co. Ltd

  9. Wang Chenwei, President’s Challenge Council Member; Young Artist Award recipient (2023); Vice Secretary-General of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation

  10. Riduan Zalani, Young Artist Award recipient (2015); Co-Founder of Nadi Singapura

5            More information on the PCMP and the MAP Grant can be found in Annex A and Annex B respectively.

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For media enquiries , Kindly contact

Goh Tze Yi
Assistant Manager 
Strategic Communications
National Arts Council 
Contact: +65 9091 6320
Email: GOH_Tze_Yi@nac.gov.sg

About The President’s Challenge

The President’s Challenge seeks to promote a culture of unity and respect.  It does so by uplifting aspirations and empowering lives – supporting individuals facing greater challenges to realise their potential, nurturing talent in the arts and sports, and enabling leaders and role models to drive meaningful social impact. Across its efforts, the President’s Challenge will foster volunteerism, multiculturalism, and cross-cultural appreciation as a way of life. 


For more information, visit www.presidentschallenge.gov.sg (opens in new tab) 


About National Arts Council

The National Arts Council (NAC) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth that champions the arts in Singapore. The Council promotes artistic excellence by providing diverse opportunities for artists and arts organisations while expanding access for audiences to appreciate the impact of the arts in enriching lives. By working closely with the arts community and partners, the Council seeks to build a connected society, creative economy and distinctive city through the arts.


For more information, visit NAC site.