Minjoo Choi, aged 17, of the Singapore School of the Arts was named as the winner of the Judge’s Prize at the Sovereign Art Foundation’s 2026 Singapore Students Arts Prize at the Awards Ceremony held as part of ART SG, Southeast Asia’s global contemporary art fair, on 25 January. Fellow School of the Arts’ student Celine Young, 16, took the Public Vote Prize.
Now in its fourth year, this annual award is designed to celebrate the importance of art in the education system and showcase young artistic talent to a wider audience. It also enables the Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) to engage with local organisations that share its aim of promoting arts in the community and encouraging cultural development.
Teachers in secondary schools across Singapore island were invited to nominate their best art students, aged from 11 to 18, to submit artworks to the competition. This year’s Prize attracted 140 entries, of which 19 were shortlisted for the Finalists’ Exhibition that ran at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre as part of the ART SG art fair from 22 to 25 January.
Minjoo’s acrylic on canvas painting titled ‘Unpacking’, which invites viewers to reflect on the process of sorting through memories as a means of personal growth and self-understanding, was awarded the Judges Prize. She receives SGD1,400 with a further SGD3,500 being donated to the Singapore School of the Arts as a grant for the wider benefit of all students and their creative pursuits.
Celine’s acrylic painting titled ‘Amber – My Precious Light’, an expressive and vibrant tribute to her beloved parakeet, captured the hearts of public voters, either in person at the exhibition or online. She receives SGD700 with the Singapore School of the Arts receiving a further grant of SGD1,800.
Both winners will now go through to the Global Students Prize, which brings together the winning artworks of all SAF’s Students Prize competitions around the world to select a Global Judges Prize winner and Global Public Vote Prize winner.
The finalists’ artworks were sold through silent auction, at the discretion of each student, with the sales proceeds split equally between the student and local charities. The 2026 Singapore Students Prize raised a total of SGD19,200.
This year’s Judges Panel featured David Chan, artist and a senior lecturer in the School of Arts Design & Media (ADM) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU); Alvin Ong, artist and former finalist in the Sovereign Asian Art Prize; Seet Yun Teng, Assistant Curator (Design) at the Asian Civilisations Museum (Singapore); and SAF Founder and Chairman Howard Bilton.
Congratulations to our winning artists. The Sovereign Art Foundation would like to thank all the entrants, sponsors, judges and hosts who did so much to make this year’s Singapore Students Prize a success.
While Singapore’s young artists were taking centre stage, SAF has also launched the fifth edition of the 2026 Sovereign African Art Prize. This year’s Finalists Exhibition is being hosted by new partner La Motte Wine Estate, which runs the Ateljee Gallery in Franschhoek, South Africa. It will be an inspiring venue in which to showcase exceptional talent from across the African continent from 6 November 2026 to 26 February 2027.
Entries are currently being submitted online, with 52 nominators putting forward artists they believe deserve the opportunity and recognition. A panel of expert judges will review these submissions and select a shortlist of 30 finalists for the exhibition and charity auction. Follow SAF’s social channels to stay updated on the latest developments!
