Ilo Ilo's Anthony Chen and other extraordinary youths receive Singapore Youth Award (SYA) 2014

Renowned filmmaker of “Ilo Ilo” fame, Anthony Chen and Singapore's first female mountaineer to conquer “The Seven Summits”, Jane Lee, are among the six extraordinary individuals and a team receiving the Singapore Youth Award (SYA) from Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam this year. The annual SYA is the highest accolade for youths, and conferred on youths who have excelled in their fields of pursuit and significantly contributed to the society to bring distinction to the nation.

Other SYA recipients this year include Timbre Group's co-founder, Edward Chia, who nurtures a sustainable platform for local musical talent; the doctor-with-a-heart who scaled Mount Everest for a charitable cause, Dr Kumaran Rasappan; double gold medallist at the 7th ASEAN Para Games, Nurulasyiqah Mohammad Taha; as well as widely respected clinician scientist, Dr Iain Tan, who bridges the divide between research and clinical work.

In addition, University-YMCA Singapore (Uni-Y) will be receiving the SYA Team award for its exceptional humanitarian efforts and for cultivating a spirit of volunteerism and leadership among youth. The Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM), which has continued with outstanding community empowerment initiatives after receiving the SYA in 2006, will be awarded the Medal of Commendation.

As part of the ceremony, some 60 invited youths will draw first-hand inspiration from the SYA awardees through a dialogue at the Istana. The awardees will share their experiences with the students and ignite their passion to pursue their aspirations and create positive change in the community