Who are Singapore’s most outstanding advocates and activists?
The annual search for Singapore’s most outstanding civil society organisations and individuals has begun. Nominations open today for the Singapore Advocacy Awards, which aim to recognise, affirm and celebrate civil society organisations and individuals for their outstanding initiative and positive impact on integration, diversity, solidarity, tolerance and awareness in Singapore.
Three awards will be given out this year. They are:
- Civil Society Advocate of the Year
- Civil Society Advocate Organisation of the Year
- Most Promising New Civil Society Advocate of the Year
The individuals and organisations eligible for these awards are those that have during the past year (June 2014 to May 2015):
- Taken it upon themselves to identify a societal need and do something about it
- Helped and enabled communities to find solutions and drive change for themselves
- Inspired others to contribute to their community
- Given their support – time, skills and resources – and made a difference to civil society.
The organisations that can be nominated include those registered with the Registry of Societies or with ACRA as well as informal initiatives, projects, campaigns, and working groups.
Anyone can make nominations, which will close on 22 June 2015. Nominations should be made on forms that can be downloaded from the Singapore Advocacy Awards’ website at http://singaporeadvocacyawards.org/criteria/nomination-process/
The Singapore Advocacy Awards was launched in 2014 by a group of civil society activists called The Working Committee 3. The Singapore Advocacy Awards logo – an inverted ‘A’ – stems from the idea of the ‘tipping point’, which is defined as ‘a point in time when a group, or a large number of group members, rapidly and dramatically changes its behaviour by widely adopting a previously rare practice’.
The Working Committee 3 believes that civil society has a pivotal role to play in the development of a democratic society. Citizens must be able to play a part in the shaping of their community. There must be space for varying visions of the future, for vigorous debate of these different approaches and for continued discussion after a decision has been made and public policies put in place. This participation by citizens is a crucial element of democracy. The Singapore Advocacy Awards recognise each year those who have most contributed to this process.
The list of individuals and organisations honoured in the 2014 Singapore Advocacy Awards is attached.
More information about The Singapore Advocacy Awards is available at http://singaporeadvocacyawards.org
