10 who went above and beyond

Inspiring athletes, courageous community heroes and advocates championing their chosen causes are among the nominees for this year's The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award, presented by global wealth manager UBS Singapore.

Public voting for the award, now in its seventh year, begins today and will close in two weeks, on Jan 7 at 7pm.

Ten nominees have been revealed over the past few months.

The award recognises Singaporeans whose extraordinary actions improved someone's life or the larger community. It also pays tribute to Singaporeans who have put the country on the world map or persevered to overcome great adversity.

A panel of judges comprising Straits Times editors, UBS representatives and individuals who have made their mark in various fields will make a final decision on the recipient next month, while also taking into account the results of the public vote.

The recipient will be announced at an award ceremony on Feb 9 at UBS Singapore's office at 9 Penang Road.

Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of SPH Media's English, Malay and Tamil Media Group and editor of The Straits Times, said: "We have another impressive slate of finalists. From a world champion sportsman to a champion of mental wellness causes, to a successful hawker entrepreneur, as well as a selfless person who gave part of his liver to a stranger and a kind couple who offered free groceries to anyone who needed it in their community.

"They are all amazing. They reflect the kind of society we want to be, and the kind of Singapore we are proud to belong to."

Over the years, the award has been given to outstanding Singaporeans in various fields.

Last year, it went to the Covid-19 front-liners, who poured their blood, sweat and tears into the nation's fight against the virus.

Representatives of the nation's front-liners, including National Centre for Infectious Diseases executive director Leo Yee Sin and Professor Ooi Eng Eong, a co-developer of the Covid-19 vaccine, Lunar-Cov19, received the award.

Prof Ooi said he had been "blown away" by the citations of the other nominees last year as they had contributed so much to society - hence being picked was a surprise.

He added that this year's nominees have also been "truly inspirational".

Mr Edmund Koh, president of UBS Asia Pacific, said the award recognises the many role models in Singapore society who have shown outstanding acts of kindness, bravery and creativity.

"By highlighting the extraordinary feats that fellow Singaporeans have achieved, this accolade reinforces the values that we collectively hold dear as a society; values such as empathy, resilience and tenacity that will stand us in good stead through good and bad times," he noted.

The Singaporean of the Year will get a trophy and $20,000, presented by UBS, 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 top award recipient will also receive a five-night stay at any of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels' global properties, while the other finalists will get a three-night stay.

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.

WATCH Meet the nominees https://str.sg/soty25