Sponsored by National Arts Council Country Singapore Reward(s) SGD $80,000 | Date 1979 (1979)–present Presented by President of Singapore | |
Awarded for Individual’s distinctive contributions to the development of Singapore’s cultural landscape | ||
The Cultural Medallion is a Singapore cultural award conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award.
It was instituted in March 1979 as an initiative of the late President, Ong Teng Cheong who was the then Minister for Culture. It is administered by the National Arts Council.
On 20 October 2006, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Dr Lee Boon Yang announced that Cultural Medallion recipients are eligible for a project grant of up to S$80,000 each, up from S$50,000. The increase would enable recipients to create major new works.
It was previously conferred by the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (the modern equivalent of the Minister for Culture). However, in 2006, the status of the award was further elevated by being conferred by the President of Singapore.
From 2013, in an effort to recognise multi-disciplinary artists, it was announced that recipients of the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award will no longer be categorised according to art forms.