Seven arts practitioners honoured with Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award as Singapore celebrates the role of the arts in the nation’s journey

Seven artists were conferred the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award at the Istana today, in recognition of their exemplary contributions to Singapore’s arts sector. The nation’s 60th year of independence provides a fitting backdrop to honour the growth of the arts in our nation-building journey. Cultural Medallion recipients Goh Boon Teck (theatre) and Nai Swee Leng (visual arts) embody the visionary leadership that has fundamentally shaped Singapore’s artistic landscape and cultural identity, while Young Artist Award recipients Alvin Lee Chang Rong (film), Daryl Qilin Yam (literary arts), Genevieve Peck Jing Yi (theatre), He Yingshu (literary arts), and Syafiqah ’Adha Sallehin (music), represent outstanding creative excellence that will continue to grow and shape the potential of Singapore’s arts scene.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Guest of Honour at today’s ceremony, said: “SG60 is a good time to reflect on the role of the arts in interpreting the Singapore Story. This year’s Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award recipients themselves give voice to the many memories and hopes along the journey. They help shape our collective understanding of ourselves.”

Establishing strong foundations in Singapore’s arts scene

Cultural Medallion recipients Goh Boon Teck and Nai Swee Leng exemplify Singapore’s deep artistic and cultural roots that have been integral to the past 60 years of the nation’s journey, with their contributions setting an enduring legacy for the advancement of Singapore’s theatre and visual arts scene respectively.

Goh Boon Teck, 54, remains a driving force in Singapore’s bilingual theatre scene for over three decades, holding the record for directing the most productions at the Esplanade Theatre and Concert Hall. As a director, playwright, and designer, his works are distinguished by its bold theatricality and visually arresting productions. Across language, scale, and form, he has maintained a strong artistic vision and visual direction for both intimate and large-scale stages. A prime example is his landmark production, Titoudao (1994), which brought Singaporean theatre to the screen and overseas. Titoudao was staged eight times across the world from North America to Japan and also adapted into a television series, setting an example for strong Singaporean stories that resonate with audiences across mediums.

Nai Swee Leng, 79, has been instrumental to the growth of Singapore’s fine arts scene since the nation’s early years through more than six decades of practice in Chinese ink painting. Blending traditional technique with contemporary elements, his distinctive freehand xieyi expression conveys a uniquely Singaporean perspective within a centuries-old art form. He also co-founded the Molan Art Association in 1966 and has actively promoted an appreciation for Chinese ink arts through exchanges and exhibitions held in Singapore and internationally, inspiring a new generation of artists.

This year’s Young Artist Award recipients also demonstrate how Singapore’s next generation of artists are building on these strong foundations, leading by example in the key structural roles they take on to enable the sustainable growth of the arts ecosystem. Daryl Qilin Yam, 34, has grown Sing Lit Station (SLS) as its co-founder and first general manager into a vital support system for Singapore’s literary scene through initiatives like “Book a Writer” which provide professional and economic opportunities to writers while deepening literary appreciation in schools and communities to grow future readers and writers. Meanwhile, multi-hyphenate lighting, projection, and video designer Genevieve Peck Jing Yi, 35, has reimagined technical roles in the arts and entertainment landscape through her incorporation of artistic storytelling with lighting design, and set a new standard for technical capabilities through her innovation with cutting-edge technology and versatility across genres.

Celebrating Singapore’s multicultural identity through diverse stories

The contributions of this year’s recipients spotlight how the arts have played an essential role in giving voice to the nation’s rich multicultural identity and shared experiences of Singaporeans in the present.

Championing Singapore’s rich cultural heritage and stories locally and overseas, Goh Boon Teck’s acclaimed productions The Crab Flower Club (2009) pays homage to Singapore’s Ping Sheh Peking Opera Society, while Sometime Moon (2018) made its mark as Singapore’s first professional Hokkien musical. Composer Syafiqah ’Adha Sallehin, 35, brings new audiences to Malay traditional music by bridging it with Western and contemporary practices. She also co-founded the Open Score Project, a cross-cultural ensemble that composes original pieces fusing traditional ethnic instruments from different cultures, celebrating the richness of Singapore’s diverse cultures through music. Writer He Yingshu, 35, is one of eight recipients in Chinese literature. Exploring lesser-known urban stories and themes like gender and climate change, she is leading a generation of emerging writers who continue the legacy of the Chinese literary landscape. Her first short story collection, Fish Birth (2019), was shortlisted for the 2020 Singapore Literature Prize.

Capturing the experiences of Singaporeans, filmmaker Alvin Lee Chang Rong, 34, foregrounds everyday lives of Singaporeans and examines local traditions through Chinese-language cinema. His latest film, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (2022), which explores how grief and ritual are navigated in a contemporary Singaporean-Chinese funeral setting, premiered at the 27th Busan International Film Festival and went on to win 13 awards with screenings at over 55 major festivals. Writer Daryl Qilin Yam uses magical realism to capture Singapore’s evolving identity while exploring contemporary social themes. Daryl’s work, Lovelier, Lonelier (2021), which pays tribute to Singaporean performance art and 90s TV culture, is being adapted into a television series by US-based screenwriters, making Singaporean literature accessible to diverse local and international audiences.

Propelling Singapore’s arts into the future

Together, the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award recipients represent the future ambition of Singapore’s arts, advancing its presence internationally while forging new paths in emerging areas for next generations to follow.

Cultural Medallion Nai Swee Leng has exhibited his works extensively locally and internationally in China, Japan, and the United States. He is one of only two Singaporean artists acknowledged by and inducted into the highly prestigious and renowned Xiling Seal Art Society Zhejiang in China. Goh Boon Teck has also reached greater global audiences by touring his shows in Asia and beyond. His notable productions include Prism (2003), which premiered in Tokyo and went on to play in Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta, and Glass Anatomy (2014), which was the first Singaporean Mandarin musical to be staged in China and earned him The Elite Director Award and 5th One Theatre Prestige Award from Shanghai Modern Drama Valley.

Young Artist Award Recipient Genevieve Peck Jing Yi demonstrated her exemplary leadership as Chief Associate Visual Director for the ASEAN Paralympic Games 2015 ceremonies, delivering an impactful visual experience that showcased Singaporean creativity on the global stage. She has also contributed her technical expertise overseas with Outfox Productions in the United Kingdom and Shanghai Puppet Theatre Company in China. Similarly, Alvin Lee Chang Rong represented Singapore’s film industry on the international stage as one of 17 emerging filmmakers and producers across Asia selected for Talents Tokyo 2024, to develop his debut feature film. Talents Tokyo is the exclusive Asian counterpart of Berlinale Talents, which is held alongside the Berlin International Film Festival.

Award recipients are also enabling the arts to flourish by developing emerging areas and inspiring the next generation of artists to follow in their footsteps. Syafiqah ’Adha Sallehin is developing notation for traditional Malay music in a landscape where systems of notation are still evolving, to preserve heritage and deepen understanding of Malay music. To create a platform for discussion and critics on Chinese literature with Singapore as a regional node, He Yingshu founded the Read Write Island project, building a cross-border community of nearly 3,000 followers across Southeast Asia.

Mr David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, said, “In this milestone SG60 year, the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award remind us of how far our arts scene has come with the growth and development of our nation. The arts have accompanied us in every milestone, celebrating our Singaporean culture and identity. The distinguished achievements of the seven recipients today affirm the central place of the arts in our collective journey and the bright future ahead for both our country and our arts scene.”

Through the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award, the National Arts Council recognises practitioners whose exceptional contributions to Singapore’s artistic excellence sustain a dynamic arts ecosystem, enrich lives and livelihoods, and expand the horizons for Singapore’s arts scene.

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High resolution images may be found in this Digital Media Kit ↗ (opens in new tab)

Annex A: About the Cultural Medallion and 2025 Recipients [PDF, 196.14 KB] ↗ (opens in new tab)

Annex B: About the Young Artist Award and 2025 Recipients [PDF, 776.98 KB] ↗ (opens in new tab)

Annex C: List of Specialist Assessment Panel Members [PDF, 196.14 KB] ↗ (opens in new tab)

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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 .