The Cultural Medallion () is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film. 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 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 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 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, 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
YearCategoryNameRef1979DanceMadhavi KrishnanTheatreBani Bin BuangMusicChoo HoeyDavid Lim Kim SanLiteratureEdwin Nadason ThumbooArtWee Beng Chong1981DanceGoh Soo KhimTheatreJoanna Wong Quee HengMusicAhmad bin Ja'afarLiteratureWong Meng VoonArtLee Hock MohNg Eng Teng1982TheatreLin ChenMusicLeong Yoon PinLiteratureGoh Poh SengPhotographyDavid Tay Poey CherArt Georgette Chen Liying1983TheatreChristopher Henry Rothwell AllenMusicVivien GohLiterature Arthur YapPhotography Ang Chwee Chai1984Theatre S. VarathanMusicKam Kee YongPhotography Yip Cheong FunArt Thomas Yeo1985Theatre Low Ing SingLiterature Lee Tzu PhengPhotography Tan Lip SengArt Tay Chee Toh1986DanceGoh Choo SanTheatreAlmahdi Al-Haj IbrahimN PalaniveluMusicPaul AbisheganadenLiterature Wong Yoon WahArt Pan ShouTeo Eng Seng1987DanceSom SaidTheatre Max Le BlondMusic Teng Mah SengLiterature Muhammed Ariff bin AhmadPhotography Lee LimArt Tan Swie Hian1988DanceLim Fei ShenTheatre Tay Bin WeeMusicAlexander S. AbisheganadenLiterature Singai Mukilan (N Abdul Rahman)Photography Chua Soo BinArt Iskandar Jalil1989DanceNeila SathyalingamTheatre Kuo Pao KunPhotography Foo Tee JunArt Goh Beng Kwan1990DanceSantha BhaskarTheatre Han Lao DaMusic Lim YauLiterature Chew Kok ChangPhotography Peng Seng WuArt Anthony PoonOng Kim Seng1992DanceYing E DingTheatre Phan Wait HongMusic Choo Hwee LimArt Wang Sui Pick1993Music Tay Teow Kiat1995DanceGoh Lay KuanArt Han Sai Por1996MusicPhoon Yew TienLiteratureLew Poo Chan (Dan Ying)1997Theatre Lou Mee WahLiterature Ho Minfong1998Literature Rama Kannabiran1999Literature Abdul Ghani HamidArt Chua Ek Kay2000Art Tan Siah Kwee2001ArtTan Kian PorMusic Yan Hui Chang2002MusicJeremy Monteiro2003ArtLim Tze PengTheatre Ong Keng SenLiteratureYeng Pway Ngon2004Photography Teo Bee Yen2005FilmJack NeoLiterature M. Balakrishnan (MA. Ilangkannan)Music Dick LeeVisual Arts Chng Seok TinLee Wen2006ArtTan Choh TeeMusicLynnette Seah2007FilmEric KhooLiterature Isa Kamari2008LiteratureChia Hwee PhengP. KrishnanMusicIskandar Mirza Ismail2009DanceAngela LiongLiterary ArtsTham Yew ChinMusicLan ShuiVisual ArtsAng Ah Tee2010MusicLiang Wern FookLiterary ArtsSuratman MarkasanVisual ArtsAmanda Heng2011MusicKelly TangVisual ArtsLim Yew KuanTheatreAtin AmatMusicYusnor Ef2012Literary ArtsJ.M. SaliMusicJennifer ThamTheatreThirunalan SasitharanVisual ArtsHo Ho YingMilenko Prvacki2013TheatreIvan HengLiterary ArtsMohamed Latiff MohamedMusicTsung Yeh2014TheatreAlvin TanVisual ArtsChong Fah CheongLiterary ArtsK. T. M. Iqbal2015Visual ArtsChua Mia TeeTheatreHaresh SharmaLiterary ArtsLim Hung Chang (Lin Gao)MusicMargaret Leng Tan2016Visual ArtsKoh Mun HongMusicAsiah Aman (Nona Asiah)2017TheatreDjamal TukiminMusicLaw Wai Lun2018MusicLouis SolianoDanceLow Mei Yoke2019MusicEric James Watson2020Visual ArtsSarkasi SaidVincent Leow2021Literary ArtsChia Joo MingMusicRahimah Rahim2022DanceAravinth Kumarasamy TheatreKok Heng Leun2023Literary ArtsSuchen Christine LimDanceOsman Abdul HamidLiterary ArtsMeira Chand2024MusicGhanavenothan RetnamVisual ArtsSiew Hock Meng2025Visual ArtsNai Swee LengTheatreGoh Boon Teck
See also Culture of Singapore
References
Further reading 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