Can you name a past winner of the Cultural Medallion without googling?

Some deserving light has once again been cast on Singapore’s arts scene with the announcement of 2016’s Cultural Medallion winners.

The recipients of this year’s Medallion are Koh Mun Hong, a self-taught calligrapher, and Nona Aisah, a Malay film and music icon of the 1950s and 1960s.

The Cultural Medallion is one of the highest honours given to individuals in Singapore for their artistic excellence and defining Singapore’s cultural landscape. Since the introduction of the award in 1979, more than a hundred artists have received the award.

Yet, many Singaporeans will have difficulty identifying some of these past winners.

Anyway, here are five notable past winners of the Cultural Medallion that you will know, whether you love the arts or not.

1. Eric Khoo (2007 Cultural Medallion for achievements in filmmaking)

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Eric Khoo is the filmmaker best known for reviving Singapore’s once stagnant film industry with his movie, Mee Pok Man in 1995.

The movie ushered in a new era of made-in-Singapore films and encouraged a young generation of aspiring Singaporean filmmakers to dream.

Khoo followed up with the highly successful 12 Storeys in 1997, which became the first Singapore film to participate in the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1998, Khoo was ranked as one of the 25 exceptional trend makers of Asia by Asiaweek magazine.

2. Jack Neo (2005 Cultural Medallion for achievements in filmmaking)

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Jack Neo rode on Khoo’s revival of the Singapore filmmaking industry and took it to greater heights, by becoming one of Singapore’s most prolific and commercially successful filmmakers.

His 1998 film, Money No Enough is still the highest grossing Singapore-made film to date.

Unlike Khoo, whose films appealed mostly to arthouse audiences however, Neo made films that connected with the masses through his use of slapstick and lowbrow comedic styles.

Nevertheless, the success of Neo’s films and his astute observations of Singapore society portrayed in them defined the cultural landscape.

3. Jeremy Monteiro (2002 Cultural Medallion for achievements in music)

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Long before there was Nathan Hartono, there was Jeremy Monteiro.

If you haven’t heard of Monteiro, then hear him play, for he is an internationally acclaimed jazz musician.

He has performed his musical works at countless jazz festivals worldwide, including the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival. By the way, he is the only Singaporean who has ever voted in the Grammies.

4. Dick Lee (2005 Cultural Medallion for achievements in music)

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Dick Lee needs little introduction to Singaporeans. His contributions to Singapore’s music scene are immense, and we are not talking about his stint as a judge on Singapore Idol.

He is the Creative Director for several National Day Parades (NDP) and wrote a couple of NDP songs including everyone’s favourite national song, Home. How about a National Day award for him?

5. Ivan Heng (2013 Cultural Medallion for achievements in theatre)

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Ivan Heng is a well-respected theatre practitioner, who has been pivotal in developing and shaping Singapore’s stage scene. Heng is perhaps best known for his role as the hugely popular Emily of Emerald Hill, but his achievements are hardly limited to that.

Heng was the Creative Director for NDP 2009 and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

More importantly, he founded one of Singapore’s leading theatre production companies, W!LD RICE, and also started the Singapore Theatre Festival.

Here is a list of all the past winners of the Cultural Medallion to shed further light to our distinguished artists.

Top photo from NAC

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