Public can vote for Singaporean of the Year 2024 from Jan 20 to 31
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The annual award, now in its 10th year, recognises a Singaporean individual or group for making an impact on society.
PHOTOS: KEVIN LIM, LIM YAOHUI, BRIAN TEO, GAVIN FOO, MARK CHEONG, NATHANIA ONG
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SINGAPORE – Community heroes, sports stars and advocates championing social causes are among the nine nominees for The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2024 award.
The annual award, now in its 10th year, recognises a Singaporean individual or group that has made an impact on society. It also pays tribute to Singaporeans who have put the country on the world map or persevered to overcome great adversity.
Public voting begins on Jan 20 and will close on Jan 31 at 7pm. Votes can be cast at /
A panel of judges comprising ST editors, UBS Singapore representatives, and individuals who have made their mark in various fields will make the final decision in February, while also taking into account the results of the public vote.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony on Feb 24.
Here are the nine nominations:
Lim Hong Huay
Dr Lim Hong Huay, a former paediatrician, founded non-profit organisation CaringSG in 2020 to support caregivers of people with special needs, after leaving her medical practice of 20 years.
The 52-year-old mother of three was motivated by her own experience as a caregiver to two of her children who were diagnosed with autism.
CaringSG, which has grown to 5,000 members, connects caregivers to support groups and helpers in the community such as grassroots organisations, and other social and health service partners.
The organisation also pairs volunteers and professional key workers who share resources, offer a listening ear, help caregivers improve their daily routines, and link them up with various agencies and ministries to ease their burdens.
Daniel Yap
Provision shop owner Daniel Yap has been salvaging unsold fresh produce from fruit and vegetable vendors, which he then distributes to community fridges, since 2018.
A group he set up in 2020 called Fridge Restock Community (FRC) now rescues 8,000kg to 9,000kg of food per week, and distributes it to 16 community fridges and 26 collection points in residential estates across Singapore.
Driven by a mission to combat food wastage and create a culture of sharing among residents, FRC’s 50 volunteers take turns to help with the weekly rescue missions.
For his food rescue work, Mr Yap, 47, received the National Environment Agency’s EcoFriend Award in September.
Marlina Yased
Community worker Marlina Yased opened a community fridge in 2023 after hearing stories from her neighbours in Lengkok Bahru about not having enough food to eat.
The fridge, which is placed at the void deck of the 46-year-old’s Housing Board block, provides 50 families with vegetables and frozen meat monthly.
Every morning, around 40 children living in the area also go to the fridge to collect a free packet of milk or Milo before they go to school.
Maximilian Maeder
Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder put Singapore on the map by clinching a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August 2024, becoming Singapore’s youngest Olympic medallist.
The 18-year-old also won nearly all the events on the international kitefoiling circuit in 2024, including the European and world championships, and was named World Sailing’s male Young World Sailor of the Year in November.
Determined to use his platform to positively impact the lives of others, Maeder spent his month-long break after the Olympics speaking at pre-schools, tertiary institutions and corporate events.
Sam Shu Qin
Marine biologist Sam Shu Qin co-founded Our Singapore Reefs, a community initiative that cleans up coral reefs and raises awareness about the country’s marine biodiversity.
Since its inception in 2017, the group has cleared about 12,000 pieces of rubbish weighing over 3,000kg during dive clean-ups involving more than 1,000 volunteer divers.
It also holds monthly beach clean-ups and talks, workshops and film screenings on marine conservation.
Ms Sam, 35, also started non-profit group Our Blue Spaces in March 2024 to make learning about marine biodiversity more accessible and embark on marine conservation projects with coastal communities in the region.
Koh Seng Choon
Former management consultant Koh Seng Choon set up a foodcourt in 2010 to employ people with disabilities as cooks, cashiers and other staff.
Persevering through the challenges of financial losses and a fire that ravaged Dignity Kitchen’s Boon Keng Road premises in February 2024, Mr Koh now employs 189 people in Singapore and Hong Kong through his social enterprise Project Dignity.
Dignity Kitchen has also trained more than 2,000 people with a range of disabilities – physical, mental and intellectual – as well as disadvantaged single parents and former prison inmates, to take on jobs in the food and beverage, hospitality and retail sectors.
In October 2024, the 65-year-old launched Dignity Kitchenette, a chain of food kiosks that trains and employs people with early dementia or mental illness, or those recovering from cancer.
Yip Pin Xiu
Swim queen Yip Pin Xiu continued to shine on the global stage in 2024, retaining her women’s 50m and 100m backstroke S2 titles at the Paris Paralympics in August that year.
It was the third consecutive Games where the 33-year-old clinched a double triumph. She also claimed her fourth straight Sportswoman of the Year accolade – and fifth overall – at the Singapore Disability Sports Awards in November 2024.
Despite being diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease – which causes the muscles to progressively weaken – at the age of two, Yip is Singapore’s most decorated Paralympian, with seven gold medals and a silver in five editions of the Games.
She is also a former nominated MP and a disability advocate who has used her platform to push for more inclusiveness in Singapore society.
Nathania Ong
Performer Nathania Ong is the first Singaporean to clinch two coveted roles on London’s West End.
In 2024, the 26-year-old actress and singer was cast as female lead Eliza in the award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.
This new role came on the back of her breakthrough role in 2022 as the beloved but tragic Eponine in the acclaimed musical Les Miserables, performing eight shows a week at the Sondheim Theatre.
She also took the stage for charity fund-raising concert Spirit Of Giving: Nathania Ong – A Musical Homecoming Concert in 2023. The show’s proceeds went to The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, which supports artistically talented youth from less-privileged households.
Narasimman Tivasiha Mani and Joshua Tay
Mr Narasimman Tivasiha Mani, 40, and Mr Joshua Tay, 30, started a charity to help vulnerable young people facing adversity in life.
Impart, which the pair launched in 2019, matches youth with volunteers to teach them coping skills and conducts sports programmes, serving more than 400 young people each week.
The non-profit organisation also reaches out to reclusive youngsters who are not in education, employment or training, and runs a crisis response initiative called Imna, which works with young people struggling with suicidal tendencies and self-harm.
Impart has helped more than 1,400 young people facing challenges such as mental health struggles, financial difficulties, domestic violence and homelessness.
About the award
SOTY24 - ST Singaporean of the Year 2024 Composite Logo Credits: ST
The Straits Times
The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award has been given to outstanding Singaporeans in various fields over the years.
The 2023 award went to former nurse Ronita Paul and volunteer coordinator Geraldine Lee,
Mr Anson Ng, a second-hand car dealer who has made it his life’s mission to help strangers in need, was named Singaporean of the Year 2022.
The Singaporean of the Year winner will get a trophy and $20,000, presented by UBS Singapore, which has supported the award since its inauguration. Other individuals or groups chosen as finalists by the panel of judges will receive $5,000 each.
The winner will also receive a five-night stay at any of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global properties. Other finalists will get a three-night stay in one of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global properties.
Singapore Airlines is sponsoring a pair of business class tickets for the Singaporean of the Year, and a pair of economy class tickets for the other finalists.
