The Subordinate Courts has won the highest prize at the annual Global Performance Excellence Awards, winning the World Class Award for performance excellence.

The award, which is only open to organisations that have won their National Quality Awards in the last three years, is the only formal international recognition of quality performance and business excellence. It is modelled after the Malcolm Baldridge Award, the only formal award for organisational quality given by the president of the United States.

The Subordinate Courts are the only recipient of the award in the "Not-for-Profit" category this year. It won the Singapore Quality Award with Special Commendation in 2011.

"The GPEA marks another important milestone in the organisational excellence journey of the Subordinate Courts," said the Subordinate Courts in a press statement on Friday. "The award reiterates their commitment to excellence in the administration of justice as the Subordinate Courts continually strive to better serve the Singapore society by delivering quality justice for all."