Ms June Wong, 34, will not easily forget her participation in The Straits Times lucky draw.

Yesterday, she became the winner of the award for Week 4 - an exclusive dinner for nine at Shinji by Kanesaka in Raffles Hotel worth up to $10,000.

The notification, however, came shortly after she lost her grandmother, 80-year-old Madam Lim, who had been in hospital for the past few days.

But Ms Wong is taking her win as a final note of benevolence from her grandmother.

Madam Lim had not been well in the past few days and was rushed to hospital last Thursday.

While doctors and nurses attended to her, family members and relatives took turns to be with her through the days and nights.

"I think the prize is a blessing from my grandma," Ms Wong told The Sunday Times.

"She wanted to thank those who helped her.

"She was a thrifty person, but very generous towards others.

"My relatives kept her company in the hospital all through the night. They were there until her final breath."

The prize, particularly its timing, was symbolic, the mother of a five-year-old daughter said.

"Winning this prize on this day has a meaning to it. If I had received the message a day before or a day after, it would not have been the same.

"Also, I could have won other prizes," she said, referring to tickets given away in previous weeks - among them, tickets to the Singapore Coffee Festival, Beerfest Asia 2016 and a four-month wine subscription by a three-star Michelin sommelier.

"The dinner will serve as an opportunity for the family to gather and remember my grandmother," said Ms Wong.

The lucky draw will run for one more week, with a final draw for the grand prize on May 30.

One lucky contestant will win a trip for two to anywhere in the world, as well as a 10-night stay in a hotel of his choice, capped at $250 a night.

As of 6pm last Friday, more than 76,000 passcodes had been submitted, with some enthusiastic contestants entering dozens or even hundreds of times, hoping for a victory.

Among the contestants with more than 100 entries are Mr Dave Chee Young Kwang, 41, and Mr Godberg Tan, 47.

The two men have submitted 173 and 130 passcodes respectively.

For Mr Kwang, a free trip would be a chance to reconnect with the past. He is leaning towards New York.

Mr Tan fancies something more exotic.

"I do enjoy travelling. I would like to go somewhere like the Maldives or South America," he said.

The competition is still open, and readers may continue to submit passcodes until 11.59pm on Sunday, May 29.

The passcodes can be found in every print copy of the newspaper from Mondays to Fridays in the Life section.

Submissions can be made at www.readsph.com/straitstimes.

Ms Wong's winning passcode was ST43R4RDUSRQ.