SINGAPORE – An organ donor, a record-breaking athlete and community champions who made an impact are among the six nominees for The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2023 award.
Public voting begins on Jan 22 and will close on Feb 4. Votes can be cast at str.sg/soty23vote
The winner will be announced at a ceremony on March 13.
The annual award, now in its ninth year, recognises a Singaporean person or group for making an impact on society. It also pays tribute to Singaporeans who have put the country on the world map or persevered to overcome great adversity.
A panel of judges comprising ST editors, UBS representatives and individuals who have made their mark in various fields will make the final decision in February, while also taking into account the results of the public vote.
The following are the six nominees:
Shanti Pereira
Sprint queen Shanti Pereira brought glory to Singapore in 2023 with a record-breaking year in track and field.
The gold rush began in May, when the 27-year-old won the 100m and 200m titles at the Cambodia SEA Games, and she repeated the feat at the Asian Athletics Championships in July.
In August, she became the first Singaporean track and field athlete to reach the semi-finals of the world championships in Budapest, and her performance in the 200m earned her a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In October, she ended Singapore’s 49-year wait for a track and field gold at the Asian Games by claiming the women’s 200m crown, to add to her 100m silver.
Over the course of 2023, she rewrote the 100m national mark six times and the 200m record four times.
Ronita Paul and Geraldine Lee
Former nurse Ronita Paul and volunteer coordinator Geraldine Lee opened Singapore’s only daycare centre for children battling cancer and other critical illnesses in 2011.
Other than emotional and moral support, Arc Children’s Centre offers educational and developmental activities to allow kids who are facing the same difficult experiences to play with and care for one another, and ultimately enjoy a normal childhood.
Over the last decade, the pair persevered through the challenges of caring for vulnerable children and introduced new initiatives like overnight camps, speech therapy to help kids behind on their developmental milestones, and access to a child psychologist to help with trauma they might have faced.
Herman Sing
Logistics director Herman Sing donated 67 per cent of his liver to a stranger on the national waiting list in 2023.
There are around 50 people on the waiting list at any time, and some do not survive the average wait time of one or two years.
The 45-year-old knew he wanted to do more for people after caring for his father, who suffered end-stage colon cancer.
Seeing how fragile life was, Mr Sing vowed to step up if he had the chance to help someone in need, even if it was a stranger.
He also regularly volunteers on weekends, delivering bread and groceries to those in need, befriending dialysis patients and cleaning up beaches.
Sandy Goh Siew Hua
Madam Sandy Goh Siew Hua has been a community volunteer leader in Bedok Reservoir since 2011, organising programmes to help those in need.
These include distributing free food, organising free tuition and connecting volunteers to provide services for beneficiaries.
The 55-year-old also set up what she calls an SOS station at the void deck of Block 702 Bedok Reservoir Road, where there are items such as free food, toiletries and even assessment books for residents.
She went on to help set up 18 similar corners around Singapore, manned by more than 50 volunteers who distribute free foodstuff to about 6,000 families every week.
Chng Rui Jie
At the age of nine, Chng Rui Jie held her first fund-raising campaign and raised $56,000 for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, which helps students from low-income families.
Now 12, she has raised more than $1.2 million through 60 online fund-raising campaigns on Giving.sg for charities such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Assisi Hospice.
Rui Jie also volunteers in other ways, such as distributing food for a community fridge. The Secondary 1 student said she intends to volunteer for this cause at least once a month if her school schedule permits.
Priscilla Ong
Former infantcare teacher Priscilla Ong set up a charity in 2014 to provide free food to needy children at the pre-school she was working in.
Although she now struggles with limited mobility due to an accident, the 41-year-old is still actively driving Project Love Lunch to feed the needy.
The full-time volunteer serves about 400 low-income rental block residents in Yishun and Sengkang, and started an emergency fund to help the elderly foot their medical expenses and transport to appointments.
She also puts herself down as the next of kin of the lonely elderly to help them settle their affairs before the end of their lives.
About the award
The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award has been given to outstanding Singaporeans in various fields over the years.
Mr Anson Ng, a second-hand car dealer who has made it his life’s mission to help strangers in need, was named Singaporean of the Year 2022.
The year before, the award went to Mr Sakthibalan Balathandautham, who donated part of his liver to a one-year-old child after he came across a plea online from a young couple.
The Singaporean of the Year will get a trophy and $20,000, presented by UBS, which has supported the award since its inauguration. Other individuals or groups chosen as finalists by the panel of judges will receive $5,000 each.
The winner will also receive a five-night stay at any of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels’ global properties and a three-night stay at Raffles Hotel Singapore. Other finalists will get a three-night stay at any of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels’ global properties.
Singapore Airlines is sponsoring a pair of business class tickets for the Singaporean of the Year, and a pair of economy class tickets for the other finalists.
