The Cultural Medallion is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award.

History

The award was instituted in March 1979 by Minister for Culture

Ong Teng Cheong Ong Teng Cheong ( zh, c=王鼎昌, p=Wáng Dǐngchāng; 22 January 1936 – 8 February 2002) was a Singaporean politician who served as the fifth president of Singapore between 1993 and 1999. He was also the first elected president in Singapor ...

and administered by the National Arts Council. The awards was given by the Minister for Culture. Since 2006, the award was presented by the

President of Singapore The president of Singapore is the head of state of the Singapore, Republic of Singapore. The role of the president is to safeguard the Reserves of the Government of Singapore, reserves and the integrity of the Singapore Civil Service, public serv ...

instead of the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (previously known as Minister for Culture). On 20 October Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts

Lee Boon Yang Lee Boon Yang ( zh, s=李文献, p=Lǐ Wénxiàn; born 1 October 1947) is a Singaporean a former politician who served as Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts between 2003 and 2009, Minister for Manpower between 1992 and 2003 ...

announced that project grant for the award is revised to S$80,000 upwards from S$50,000, giving recipients better opportunities to create major works.Clara Chow, "SSO co-leader, versatile artist get highest award for the arts", ''

The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was established ...

'', 21 October 2006 From 2013, in an effort to recognise multi-disciplinary artists, it was announced that recipients of the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award will no longer be categorised according to art forms.

List of Cultural Medallion recipients

{, class="wikitable" , - !Year, , Category, , Name !Ref , - , rowspan="6", 1979, , Dance, , Madhavi Krishnan , , - , Theatre, , Bani bin Buang , , - , rowspan="2", Music, ,

Choo Hoey Choo Hoey (朱暉, born 20 October 1934, Palembang, Sumatra) is a Singaporean musician and conductor. Choo founded the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and was also its first resident conductor and music director. Choo was awarded Singapore's inaugu ...

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David Lim Kim San David Lim Kim San (born 7 May 1933) is considered to be one of the architects of music education in Singapore. David Lim was born in a Peranakan and Methodist family. He attended Telok Kurau Primary School and Victoria School, where he was mentore ...

, , - , Literature, , Edwin Nadason Thumboo , , - , Art, , Wee Beng Chong , , - , rowspan="6", 1981, , Dance, ,

Goh Soo Khim Goh Soo Khim () is a Singaporean ballerina and a doyen in Singapore’s dance scene. She is also the co-founder and artistic director of Singapore Dance Theatre. She is also credited for the development of ballet in Singapore, and for nurturing m ...

, , - , Theatre, , Joanna Wong Quee Heng née Wu , , - , Music, , Ahmad bin Ja'afar , , - , Literature, , Wong Meng Voon , , - , rowspan="2", Art, , Lee Hock Moh , , - , Ng Eng Teng , , - , rowspan="5", 1982, , Theatre, , Lin Chen , , - , Music, , Leong Yoon Pin , , - , Literature, ,

Goh Poh Seng Goh Poh Seng (; July 1936 – 10 January 2010) was a Singaporean dramatist, novelist, doctor and poet, was born in Kuala Lumpur, British Malaya in 1936. He was educated at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, received his medical degree from Uni ...

, , - , Photography, , David Tay Poey Cher , , - , Art , , Georgette Chen Liying , , - , rowspan="4", 1983, , Theatre, , Christopher Henry Rothwell Allen , , - , Music, , Vivien Goh , , - , Literature , ,

Arthur Yap Arthur Yap Chioh Hiong (; 1943 – 19 June 2006) was a Singaporean poet, writer and painter. Biography Arthur Yap was born in Singapore, the sixth child of a carpenter and a housewife. Yap attended St Andrew's School and the University of Si ...

, , - , Photography , , Ang Chwee Chai , , - , rowspan="4", 1984, , Theatre , , S Varathan , , - , Music, , Kam Kee Yong , , - , Photography , , Yip Cheong Fun , , - , Art , , Thomas Yeo , , - , rowspan="4", 1985, , Theatre , , Low Ing Sing , , - , Literature , ,

Lee Tzu Pheng Anne Lee Tzu Pheng (born May 13, 1946) is a Singaporean poet. She has five volumes of poems to her name; of these, the first three, ''Prospect of a Drowning'' (1980), ''Against the Next Wave'' (1988) and ''The Brink of An Amen'' (1991) were winne ...

, , - , Photography , , Tan Lip Seng , , - , Art , , Tay Chee Toh , , - , rowspan="7", 1986, , Dance, ,

Goh Choo San Goh Choo San (; 14 September 1948 – 28 November 1987) was a Singaporean ballet dancer and choreographer whose decade-long association with The Washington Ballet brought that company international acclaim. Childhood The son of Goh Kim Lok (1904 ...

, , - , rowspan="2", Theatre, , Almahdi Al-Haj Ibrahim , , - , N Palanivelu , , - , Music, , Paul Abisheganaden , , - , Literature , , Wong Yoon Wah , , - , rowspan="2", Art , , Pan Shou , , - , Teo Eng Seng , , - , rowspan="6", 1987, , Dance, , Som Said , , - , Theatre , , Max Le Blond , , - , Music , , Teng Mah Seng , , - , Literature , , Hj Muhammed Ariff bin Ahmad , , - , Photography , , Lee Lim , , - , Art , ,

Tan Swie Hian Tan Swie Hian () is a Singaporean multidisciplinary artist known for his contemporary Chinese calligraphy, Chinese poetry and contemporary art sculptures found in Singapore and many parts of the world. Early life Born in Indonesia, Tan migra ...

, , - , rowspan="6", 1988, , Dance, , Lim Fei Shen , , - , Theatre , , Tay Bin Wee , , - , Music, , Alex Abisheganaden , , - , Literature , , N Abdul Rahman , , - , Photography , ,

Chua Soo Bin Chua Soo Bin, also spelt Chua Soo-Bin, (; born 1932) is a Singaporean fine-art photographer and recipient of the Cultural Medallion in 1989. Chua was described by ''The Straits Times'' as "one of the most sought-after commercial photographers" in ...

, , - , Art , ,

Iskandar Jalil Iskandar Jalil (born 5 January 1940) is a Singapore ceramist. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts in 1988. Early works Contrary to the famous belief, Iskandar's early works was first made in the teacher training college instead o ...

, , - , rowspan="4", 1989, , Dance, ,

Neila Sathyalingam Neila Sathyalingam (8 February 1938 – 9 March 2017) was a Singaporean classical Indian dancer, choreographer and instructor of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. An alumna of Kalakshetra in Madras (now Chennai) under the tutelage of Srimathi Rukmin ...

, , - , Theatre , ,

Kuo Pao Kun Kuo Pao Kun (193910 September 2002) () was a playwright, theatre director, and arts activistKwok, Kian-Woon. "Remembering Kuo Pao Kun (1939–2002)." Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 4.2 (2003): 193–201. in Singapore who wrote and directed both Man ...

, , - , Photography , , Foo Tee Jun , , - , Art , , Goh Beng Kwan , , - , rowspan="7", 1990, , Dance, , Santha Bhaskar , , - , Theatre , , Han Lao Da , , - , Music , , Lim Yau , , - , Literature , , Chew Kok Chang , , - , Photography , , Peng Seng Wu , , - , rowspan="2", Art , ,

Anthony Poon Anthony Poon Kin Soon (; 21 April 1945 – 2 September 2006) was one of the pioneer abstract artists in Singapore best known for his paintings in the ''Wave Series'' which he began working on in 1976. Biography Born in Singapore in 1945, Poon gr ...

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Ong Kim Seng Ong Kim Seng (), was born in Singapore and has been a full-time artist since 1985. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions at Singapore and in the United States, China, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Federal Republic of Ger ...

, , - , rowspan="4", 1992, , Dance, , Ying E Ding , , - , Theatre , , Phan Wait Hong , , - , Music , , Choo Hwee Lim , , - , Art , , Wang Sui Pick , , - , 1993, , Music , ,

Tay Teow Kiat Tay Teow Kiat (; born 1947) is the Music Director of East Zone Schools’ Chinese Orchestra Development Centre, President of Singapore Chinese Instrumental Music Association, Music Director of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) City Chinese Orche ...

, , - , rowspan="2", 1995, , Dance, ,

Goh Lay Kuan Goh Lay Kuan (; born 1939) is an Indonesian-born Singaporean dancer, choreographer, educator, and pioneer of dance in Singapore. Together with her husband, Kuo Pao Kun, she co-founded the Singapore Performing Arts School (now The Theatre Practic ...

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Han Sai Por Han Sai Por (; born 19 July 1943) is a Singaporean sculptor. A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), East Ham College of Art, Wolverhampton College of Art (now the School of Art and Design of the University of Wolverhampton) and ...

, , - , rowspan="2", 1996, , Music, , Phoon Yew Tien , , - , Literature, , Lew Poo Chan (Dan Ying) , , - , rowspan="2", 1997, , Theatre , , Lou Mee Wah , , - , Literature , , Ho Minfong , , - , 1998, , Literature , , Rama Kannabiran , , - , rowspan="2", 1999, , Literature , ,

Abdul Ghani Hamid Abdul Ghani Abdul Hamid (13 April 1933–13 April 2014), commonly known as Abdul Ghani Hamid or A. Ghani Hamid; also known by his pen name Lazuardi, was a Singaporean writer, poet, and artist. Writing primarily in Malay, Abdul Ghani produced ...

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Chua Ek Kay Chua Ek Kay () (21 November, 1947 – 8 February 2008) was a Singaporean artist hailed as the "bridge between Asian and Western art" with a unique painting style using Chinese ink on paper that demonstrated an ingenious blend of traditional Chin ...

, , - , 2000, , Art , , Tan Siah Kwee , , - , rowspan="2", 2001, , Art, , Tan Kian Por , , - , Music , , Yan Hui Chang , , - , 2002, , Music, ,

Jeremy Monteiro Jeremy Ian Monteiro (born 20 June 1960, Singapore) is a Singaporean jazz pianist, singer, composer, and music educator. In Singapore he was mentioned by the local press as Singapore's "King of Swing". Monteiro was awarded the Cultural Medallion ...

, , - , rowspan="3", 2003, , Art, ,

Lim Tze Peng Lim Tze Peng (, born 28 September 1921) is a Singaporean artist who is a teacher by training and profession. He was awarded a Cultural Medallion in 2003 in recognition of his contribution to the country's art and culture. In June 2021, it was re ...

, , - , Theatre , ,

Ong Keng Sen Ong Keng Sen (born 20 November 1963; ) is a Singaporean director of the theatre group TheatreWorks, which was founded in 1985. Early life Ong Keng Sen was youngest of six children born to immigrants from Putian, China. Ong joined the drama cl ...

, , - , Literature, ,

Yeng Pway Ngon Yeng Pway Ngon (; 26 January 194710 January 2021) was a Singaporean poet, novelist and critic in the Chinese literary scene in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. A prolific writer, Yeng's works have been translated into English, ...

, , - , 2004, , Photography , , Teo Bee Yen , , - , rowspan="4", 2005, , Film, ,

Jack Neo Jack Neo (born 24 January 1960) is a Singaporean actor, television host, comedian and film director. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1983 to 2003. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was best known for his cross-dressing roles ...

, , - , Literature , ,

M. Balakrishnan M. Balakrishnan (born 18 September 1938) is a Singaporean author, popularly known by his pen name ''Ma Ilangkannan''. He was the first Tamil writer to receive the South East Asian Writers Award in 1982 Early life and career Mayandiambalam Balakr ...

(MA. Ilangkannan) , , - , Music , ,

Dick Lee Richard Lee Peng Boon (born 24 August 1956) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, playwright and film director. Early life Lee was born to a Peranakan father, Lee Kip Lee, (who wrote for ''The Straits Times'') and his wife , Elizabeth Tan. He was th ...

, , - , Visual Arts , , Chng Seok Tin
Lee Wen , , - , rowspan="2", 2006, , Art, , Tan Choh Tee , , - , Music, ,

Lynnette Seah Lynnette Seah Mei Tsing () is a Singaporean violinist serving as co-leader of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). She received the Cultural Medallion for Music in 2006. Early life Seah began her formal music training on the piano with her ...

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, , - , Literature , , Isa Kamari , , - , rowspan="2", 2008, , Literature, , Chia Hwee Pheng
P. Krishnan , , - , Music, , Iskandar Mirza Ismail , , - , rowspan="4", 2009, , Dance, , Angela Liong , , - , Literary Arts, , Tham Yew Chin , , - , Music, ,

Lan Shui Lan Shui (Chinese: 水蓝, born 1957) is a Chinese-American conductor. He was the Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2019. He has retired as Music Director on 26 January 2019, and was given the title of Conductor Laure ...

, , - , Visual Arts, , Ang Ah Tee , , - , rowspan="3", 2010, , Music, ,

Liang Wern Fook Dr Liang Wern Fook (; born 1964 in Singapore) is a Cantonese Singaporean writer, musician, singer and researcher in Chinese literature and pedagogy. He was one of the pioneer figures in ''xinyao'' (Singaporean Chinese folk songs) movement in t ...

, rowspan="2" , , - , Literary Arts, , Suratman Markasan , - , Visual Arts, , Amanda Heng , , - , rowspan="4", 2011, , Music, ,

Kelly Tang Kelly Tang (born 1961) is a Singaporean composer known internationally for his wind band, chamber and orchestral works. For his contributions to the local music scene, Tang was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 2011. Early life Tang's love fo ...

, rowspan="4" , , - , Visual Arts, , Lim Yew Kuan , - , Theatre, , Atin Amat , - , Music, , Yusnor Ef , - , rowspan="4", 2012, , Literary Arts, , J.M. Sali , rowspan="4" , , - , Music, ,

Jennifer Tham Jennifer Tham (born 1962) is a leading choir conductor and music pedagogue based in Singapore. She received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and sociology from the National University of Singapore in 1985, and trained to be a composer at the Simon ...

, - , Theatre, , Thirunalan Sasitharan , - , Visual Arts, , Ho Ho Ying
Milenko Prvacki , - , rowspan="3", 2013, , colspan="2" ,

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Mohamed Latiff Mohamed Mohamed Latiff Mohamed (20 March 1950 – 13 October 2022) was a Singaporean Malay poet and writer. Biography Mohamed Latiff Mohamed was born in Singapore on 20 March 1950. He was educated at Guillemard Malay School, followed by Tun Seri Lan ...

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Tsung Yeh Yeh Tsung (born 17 May 1950), better known as Tsung Yeh, is a Chinese conductor. He was the world’s first conductor to hold music directorship of a Western symphony orchestra and a Chinese orchestra simultaneously, being the musical director of ...

, - , rowspan="3", 2014, , colspan="2" , Alvin Tan , rowspan="3" , , - , colspan="2",

Chong Fah Cheong Chong Fah Cheong () is a Singaporean sculptor known for many public sculptures in Singapore. He is considered as one of Singapore’s pioneer sculptors and was awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore's pinnacle arts award in 2014. Though he w ...

, - , colspan="2", KTM Iqbal , - , rowspan="4", 2015, , colspan="2" ,

Chua Mia Tee Chua Mia Tee (; born 25 November 1931) is a China, Chinese-born Singaporeans, Singaporean artist known for his Social realism, social realist oil paintings capturing the social and political conditions of Singapore and Federation of Malaya, M ...

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Haresh Sharma Haresh Sharma (born 1965) is a Singaporean playwright. To date, he has written more than 100 plays that have been staged all over the world, including Singapore, Melbourne, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cairo and London. Sharma has a BA from the Nation ...

, - , colspan="2", Lim Hung Chang (Lin Gao) , - , colspan="2",

Margaret Leng Tan Margaret Leng Tan () is a classical music artist known for her work as a professional toy pianist, performing in major cities around the world on her 51 cm-high toy pianos. She is also known to be a classical music performer using unconventio ...

, - , rowspan="2", 2016, , colspan="2", Koh Mun Hong , , - , colspan="2", Asiah Aman (Nona Asiah) , , - , rowspan="2", 2017, , colspan="2", Djamal Tukimin , , - , colspan="2", Law Wai Lun , , - , rowspan="2", 2018, , colspan="2", Louis Soliano , , - , colspan="2", Low Mei Yoke , , - , 2019, , colspan="2" , Eric James Watson , , - , rowspan="2" , 2020 , colspan="2" , Sarkasi Said , , - , colspan="2" , Vincent Leow , , - , rowspan="2" , 2021 , colspan="2" , Chia Joo Ming , , - , colspan="2" , Rahimah Rahim , , - , rowspan="2" , 2022 , colspan="2" , Aravinth Kumarasamy , rowspan="2" , {{Cite web , last=cue , date=2022-12-05 , title=Indian dance, theatre veterans get Cultural Medallion {{! The Straits Times , url=https://www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/2-theatre-veterans-receive-cultural-medallion , access-date=2022-12-06 , website=www.straitstimes.com , language=en , - , colspan="2" , Kok Heng Leun

References

*Purushothaman, Venka (ed.) (2002) ''Narratives : Notes On A Cultural Journey : Cultural Medallion Recipients 1979 - 2001''. Singapore : National Arts Council.

External links

CULTURAL MEDALLION

National Arts Council list of current Nominations and Recipients
Arts in Singapore Civil awards and decorations of Singapore Arts awards Awards established in 1979

History

List of Cultural Medallion recipients

See also

References

External links