Singapore Prestige Brand Award crowns 20 local brands

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Prestige Brand Award honoured digital companies like AI-driven GO-GENIE, e-commerce services agency Jumpstart Commerce and digital consultancy Jeffery as well as traditional bricks-and-mortar small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with offerings as diverse as traditional pancakes and funeral services.

Twenty local firms were named 2025’s Singapore Prestige Brand Award winners at an awards ceremony at Parkroyal Collection hotel in Marina Bay on Dec 9.

Established in 2002 by the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) and SPH Media’s Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao, the award is one of Singapore’s longest-running awards for home-grown brands.

It aims to celebrate local brands that excel in branding strategies, market presence and innovation.

Five firms received recognition for introducing promising brands to the market, 11 were acknowledged for established names, and four for their heritage labels.

One winner for each of the three categories will be announced at a gala on Jan 2 in 2026.

In addition to its sponsor Maybank, government entities Enterprise Singapore and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore are backing the accolades and were involved in the judging process, said Mr Alan Tan, chairman of the award organising committee at ASME.

“With many awards in the landscape, I personally feel that those with support from our local government agencies offer an added layer of credibility,” he said.

The recognition serves as a mark of quality, especially when the brands expand overseas, he said.

Ms Quek Lee Kiang, Lianhe Zaobao associate editor who co-chairs the award organising committee, said the winning brands had each carved out a unique growth path amid a tough economic year marked by tariffs and rising costs.

Over more than two months starting in August, more than 30 shortlisted companies underwent two rounds of judging, including a face-to-face interview. These companies were measured against criteria such as brand strategy, identity, performance, development and management.

More than 30 brands have earned a place in the Hall of Fame for achieving at least three wins since the annual awards started, according to Mr Tan.

Over the years, more than 450 brands have been honoured through this recognition.

Among the winners were GO-GENIE, an artificial intelligence-powered logistics platform that integrates warehousing, fulfilment and last-mile delivery.

Calling itself an asset-light “control tower”, it pitches greater efficiency, visibility, cost control and carbon-tracking, with easy onboarding for customers.

Munchi Pancakes was recognised for transforming the traditional min jiang kueh seller from a hawker stall into a household name with 41 outlets and tapping production kitchens in both its local base and Johor.

Math Mavens specialises in primary school-level mathematics enrichment, delivering lessons taught by former teachers using a structured curriculum. It expanded to Thailand in 2025.

There was also Singapore Funeral Group, founded in 2006 by Mr Nicky Teo, then Singapore’s youngest funeral director at the age of 17. It offers a suite of services from wake management and embalming to repatriation and memorial planning.

Addressing the winners at the ceremony, Mr Adam Tan, Maybank’s head of community financial services for Singapore, said: “Branding today goes beyond logo or tag line. Strong brands are built on clarity, consistency and the ability to form real, emotional connection with the customers and industry at large.

“Your stories remind us that our great brands are not built overnight, but through intention, resilience and heart.”