Excellence for Singapore Award 2003

25 July 2003 MEDIA RELEASE

1. Please refer to our earlier media release dated 7 March 2003 announcing the opening of nominations for the Excellence for Singapore Award 2003.
   
   
2. The Excellence for Singapore Award, now in its 8th year, was set up by the Singapore Totalisator Board in 1996 to recognise and honour individuals, groups of individuals or organisations that bring credit to Singapore by being among the best in their areas of activity in Asia or in the world. To-date, 36 winners, made up of 6 individuals, 3 groups and 17 organisations, have been bestowed the Award; and a total of $360,000 has been given away to non-profit organisations that promote the activities that the winners excelled in. Details of past years' winners are available on the Board's website, www.singtote.gov.sg.
   
   
3. This year, the Board received 54 nominations - the highest number of nominations received since the Award was launched. The Panel of Adjudicators, comprising Dr Yeo Ning Hong, Chairman of the Board, Mr Lim Kim San, Mr Sim Kee Boon and Mr J Y Pillay, have selected 5 winners. They are:
   Singapore National Eye Centre
   
   
4. In addition to receiving a specially-minted Excellence for Singapore Award gold medallion, winners are also given the privilege of choosing a non-profit organisation or organisations that promote the activities which the winners excelled in, to receive a sum of $20,000 donated by the Board. The non-profit organisations selected by this year's winners are:
   Winners Non-Profit Organisations

   1. Singapore National Eye Centre 2. Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped [$10,000] 3. Singapore Eye Bank [$10,000]

   
   
5. Selected highlights of this year's winners' accomplishments are as follows:

   The Singapore National Eye Centre is one of the largest ambulatory eye centres in Asia handling 250,000 outpatient visits and 12,000 major eye operations annually. Together with the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), SNEC has achieved three world and Asian "firsts".

   
   
6. For further information, you may also contact the following officers:
   Mrs Boon-Ngee Sebastian, Senior Manager
   DID: 6879-2903
   Ms Chia Lin Lin, Admin Officer
   DID: 6879-2916
   

Issued by Singapore Totalisator Board
1 Turf Club Avenue #03-01
Singapore Racecourse
Singapore 738078

For further information on Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), please contact:

Ravi Chandran, Corporate Communications Executive
Tel: 6322 8394; Email: ravi@snec.com.sg