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SINGAPORE – The top three nominees for this year’s The Straits Times Singapore of the Year award have one thing in common: a positive attitude and a boundless desire to help those in need.
The first, Lim Ee Chin, an 81-year-old retired worker, stepped into action and helped put out a fire in her neighbor’s apartment.
The second nominee, 30-year-old social entrepreneur Cai Yinzhou, co-founded a group to support migrant workers affected by the circuit breaker measures.
The third nominee, retired cleaner Zulkifli Atnawi, 60, and the Project Hills initiative founded by his four children, provide social and financial assistance to rental apartment residents affected by the pandemic.
The award, now in its sixth year, is endorsed by investment bank UBS Singapore. It recognizes Singaporeans whose extraordinary actions improved the life of someone or the community at large.
The award also recognizes Singaporeans who have put the country on the world map or have persevered to overcome great adversity.
The Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez, who is also editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings’ English / Malay / Tamil Media Group, said: “In this challenging year, we need heroes to inspire and lift our spirits. All three of us This year’s top nominees do just that. They have stood up to challenge in a crisis, reached out to help others in need and put the well-being of the community before themselves. “
“We will keep an eye out for more of them as we strengthen this year’s list of nominees for Singapore of the Year.” “We welcome all suggestions from Singaporeans.”
Nominees must be Singaporean citizens who made headlines this year. They can be nominated as individuals or as a group. Nominations close on December 15 and the rest of the shortlisted candidates will be announced between now and December.
Then there will be two weeks of public voting, and the judges will use the result as a reference to make a final decision on the winner in January.
President Halimah Yacob, who is the award sponsor, will be the guest of honor at the presentation ceremony in February.
Last year, the award went to Associate Professor Angie Chew, who founded the Brahm Center in 2012 to provide free health education, other services such as friendship, counseling, and dementia screening for frail and lonely older people.
Past recipients include Ms. Siti Noor Mastura, who co-founded the non-profit group Interfaith Youth Circle; HealthServe, which provides affordable healthcare for migrant workers, and its co-founder Goh Wei Leong; Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling and his parents Colin and May; and Madame Noriza A. Mansor, a sales assistant who helped an elderly man who got dirty in public.
Singaporean of the Year will receive a trophy and $ 20,000, presented by UBS, which has supported the award since its inauguration. Other individuals or groups selected as finalists by the panel of judges will receive $ 5,000 each.
The winner will also receive a five-night stay at any of the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels global properties, while the other finalists will get a three-night stay.
Singapore Airlines is also sponsoring a pair of business class tickets for Singapore of the Year and a pair of economy class tickets for the other finalists.
A panel of judges comprised of Straits Times editors, UBS representatives and individuals who have made their mark in various fields will help select and recommend deserving candidates before choosing Singaporean of the Year.
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