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 repertoire ...

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 perfor ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, 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 ...

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 aspe ...

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 emplo ...

, art 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 atmospher ...

. 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 The president of Singapore is the head of state of the Republic of Singapore. The role of the president is to safeguard the reserves and the integrity of the public service. The presidency is largely ceremonial, with the Cabinet led by the prime ...

instead of the

Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI; ms, Kementerian Perhubungan dan Penerangan; zh, 通讯及新闻部; ta, தொடர்பு, தகவல் அமைச்சு) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore respon ...

(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 ''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 establish ...

'', 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 , , - ,

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 mento ...

, , - , Literature, , Edwin Nadason Thumboo , , - , Art, , Wee Beng Chong , , - , rowspan="6", 1981, , Dance, , Goh Soo Khim , , - , 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 Ng Eng Teng (; 12 July 1934 – 4 November 2001), ''The Grandfather of Singapore Sculpture'' was a sculptor in Singapore known for his figurative sculptures, many of which are found in public locations around Singapore. His legacy include the ''M ...

, , - , rowspan="5", 1982, , Theatre, , Lin Chen , , - , Music, , Leong Yoon Pin , , - , Literature, , Goh Poh Seng , , - , Photography, , David Tay Poey Cher , , - , Art , , Georgette Chen Liying , , - , rowspan="4", 1983, , Theatre, , Christopher Henry Rothwell Allen , , - , Music, , Vivien Goh , , - , Literature , , Arthur Yap , , - , 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 , , - , Photography , , Tan Lip Seng , , - , Art , , Tay Chee Toh , , - , rowspan="7", 1986, , Dance, , Goh Choo San , , - , 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 , , - , rowspan="6", 1988, , Dance, , Lim Fei Shen , , - , Theatre , , Tay Bin Wee , , - , Music, , Alex Abisheganaden , , - , Literature , , N Abdul Rahman , , - , Photography , , Chua Soo Bin , , - , Art , , Iskandar Jalil , , - , rowspan="4", 1989, , Dance, , Neila Sathyalingam , , - , 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 Han Lao Da (), originally named Ann Jong Juan, is a Singaporean playwright, as well as founder and principal of Han Language Centre. Han received the Cultural Medallion for his contributions in the Singaporean drama scene, and is also recognis ...

, , - , 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 ...

, , - , Ong Kim Seng , , - , rowspan="4", 1992, , Dance, , Ying E Ding , , - , Theatre , ,

Phan Wait Hong Phan Wait Hong (1914 – 1 September 2016) was a veteran Peking opera performer in Singapore. Known as the grande dame of Peking opera in Singapore, she received the Cultural Medallion for Chinese Opera in 1992. Biography Phan was born in Sha ...

, , - , Music , , Choo Hwee Lim , , - , Art , , Wang Sui Pick , , - , 1993, , Music , , Tay Teow Kiat , , - , 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 Practice ...

, , - , Art , ,

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) ...

, , - , 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 , , - , Art , , Chua Ek Kay , , - , 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 Medallio ...

, , - , 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 Teo Bee Yen (born 1950 in Fujian, China) is a photographer from Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude ...

, , - , rowspan="4", 2005, , Film, , Jack Neo , , - , 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 , , - , Visual Arts , , Chng Seok Tin

Lee Wen Lee Wen (; 1957–2019) was a Singapore-based performance artist who shaped the development of performance art in Asia. He worked on the notion of identity, ethnicity, freedom, and the individual's relationship to communities and the environ ...

, , - , 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 ...

, , - , rowspan="2", 2007, , Film, ,

Eric Khoo use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , resting_place = , nationality = Singaporean , alma_mater = Uni ...

, , - , 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 , rowspan="2" , , - , Literary Arts, , Suratman Markasan , - , Visual Arts, ,

Amanda Heng Amanda Heng Liang Ngim (; born 1951) is a contemporary artist, curator and speaker from Singapore, who works in Singapore and internationally. As an artist she has a multidisciplinary practice, working collaboratively in contemporary art exhibi ...

, , - , rowspan="4", 2011, , Music, , Kelly Tang , 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 Ho Ho Ying (), also known by his writer's moniker, Zi Mu (), was a prominent Singaporean modern artist whose practice involved avant-garde Chinese calligraphy and abstract expressionist paintings. He co-founded the Modern Art Society in Si ...

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, rowspan="3" , , - , colspan="2", Mohamed Latiff Mohamed , - , colspan="2", Tsung Yeh , - , rowspan="3", 2014, , colspan="2" , Alvin Tan , rowspan="3" , , - , colspan="2", Chong Fah Cheong , - , colspan="2", KTM Iqbal , - , rowspan="4", 2015, , colspan="2" , Chua Mia Tee , rowspan="4" , , - , colspan="2",

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 Nationa ...

, - , colspan="2", Lim Hung Chang (Lin Gao) , - , colspan="2", Margaret Leng Tan , - , rowspan="2", 2016, , colspan="2", Koh Mun Hong , , - , colspan="2",

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(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 Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: ...

, , - , 2019, , colspan="2" , Eric James Watson , , - , rowspan="2" , 2020 , colspan="2" ,

Sarkasi Said Sarkasi bin Said (27 March 1940–14 October 2021), best known as Sarkasi Said and also known by the artist name Tzee'','' was a contemporary Singaporean batik artist known for abstract batik paintings and his use of unconventional wax-resist t ...

, , - , colspan="2" , Vincent Leow , , - , rowspan="2" , 2021 , colspan="2" ,

Chia Joo Ming Chia may refer to: Plants * ''Salvia hispanica'', flowering plant in the sage family ** Chia seed, edible seeds of ''Salvia hispanica'' * ''Salvia columbariae'', an annual plant that is commonly called chia, chia sage, golden chia or desert chia ...

, , - , 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 Kok Heng Leun (; born 1966) is a former Singapore Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) who represented the arts sector in Singapore. He was appointed by the President of Singapore in March 2016. Currently, he works as the Artistic Director of ...

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