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Parliamentary Matters

Support for the local literary arts sector

Sectors

Arts

25 September 2025

Response to parliamentary question on Government’s support for local literature, including the measure of impact on readership, sustainability on writers’ careers, and embedding local literature into Singaporeans’ daily lives

Mr Gabriel Lam: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what share of FY2020 to FY2024 funding supported local literature; (b) how does the Ministry measure the impact of SingLit programmes on sales, readership, and author income; (c) whether the Ministry is considering further measures to support and sustain writers’ careers; and (d) whether Ministry is considering further steps to embed local literature across schools, libraries, bookstores, and campaigns.

Response:

  1. Between FY20 to FY24, the National Arts Council (NAC) directed approximately $20M to supporting the literary arts across our four official languages. This includes direct grants to writers, publishers and literary practitioners, sector development schemes, and major events like the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF).

  2. NAC assesses the impact of Singapore Literature (Sing Lit) programmes through a combination of ticket sales, attendance, readership and professional outcomes (e.g. overseas recognition). For example, with NAC’s support at international book fairs, the rights to over 30 Sing Lit titles have been sold between 2023 and 2024.

  3. NAC offers a comprehensive suite of grants and programmes to support writers at different stages of development and help them diversify income streams. This includes support for the creation of new works, arts housing, capability development, showcase and networking opportunities, and international exposure and transmedia adaptations. NAC’s initiatives and support measures aim to nurture a vibrant literary ecosystem, support our writers’ professional development, and ensure that Sing Lit is not only produced but also read and valued as an integral part of our cultural identity.

  4. NAC constantly evaluates new ways to embed Sing Lit into Singaporeans’ daily lives. Today, local works are already part of English Literature and Mother Tongue curricula. To make Sing Lit more accessible to our multilingual population, NAC also worked with NLB on the One Story Project, which translated short stories by local writers into the other official languages. Beyond traditional spaces for literature, NAC launched the Poems on the MRT initiative, which features over 100 poems on SMRT’s train network. NAC is working to expand such touchpoints further.

  5. NAC will continue to review our strategies and support for the literary arts to remain responsive to the needs of our literary community.


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