Paragon and Orchard Central have been named the best dressed buildings in Orchard Road for their Christmas decorations this year.
Orchard Central, which was the overall winner for the past three years, topped a new voters' choice category.
Featuring fairies, unicorns and elves, the shopping centre's fairy-tale landscape decor received more than one-fifth (4,663) of the 20,323 votes made by shoppers, who voted via the @Orchard mobile app.
Paragon's Christmas magic-inspired decor, consisting of swirling gold and red ribbons and glimmering reindeer, won the mall the coveted judges' choice award.
The highlight of the mall's festive display is the over 12m-tall Christmas tree at its main entrance, which "undoubtedly left an indelible impression on the judges", said the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba), which organised the annual contest.
Eleven participating malls were judged based on their day and night visual effects and their use of interactive features. The top two malls will receive a $25,000 cash prize each, while five runners-up will each get a $10,000 cash prize.
The five are Forum The Shopping Mall, Mandarin Gallery, The Centrepoint, Tanglin Mall and Tangs @ Tang Plaza.
Mrs May Sng, Orba's chairman, thanked the participating malls for adding to the Orchard Road festivities. "The new Voters' Choice award has given the public a bigger share of voice in choosing their favourite building," she said. "More importantly, it has enabled us to engage the community on a larger scale."
The contest is one of the highlights in Orchard Road this Christmas season. There will be special performances and activities from 7pm to 11pm next Thursday. On Dec 24, carollers from different churches across Singapore will hold a mass carolling session outside Tong Building. Non-profit organisation Celebrate Christmas in Singapore will hold a Christmas concert on Dec 25.
