Source: Government of Singapore
JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN FMAS, NEA AND NHB
Singapore, 24 November 2025 – Themed “Honouring Hawkers, Celebrating a Nation,” the Singapore Hawkers’ Celebration and Awards 2025 paid tribute to the passion and perseverance of Singapore’s hawkers who keep the nation’s food heritage alive for the community. The awards are organised by The Federation of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore (FMAS) and supported by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and National Heritage Board (NHB). This year marked special significance with the SG60 milestone and the fifth anniversary of hawker culture’s inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, with hawker centres continuing to play a significant role in our national identity and heritage. The award ceremony was held during a celebratory lunch that brought together hawkers, industry partners, and community representatives to honour their achievements.
2 The event recognised nine exemplary hawkers for their contributions to tradition, innovation, and mentorship, alongside the winners of the Favourite Hawker Centre Award and the newly introduced Healthier Dining Hawker Centre Award. These awards were presented by Guest of Honour Ms Goh Hanyan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. For more details on the awards and the full list of awardees, please refer to Annex.
Honouring Singapore’s heritage, enterprise, and mentorship
3 Mr Sumadi Bin Sapari, third-generation hawker of Warong Pak Sapari, which has been in operation for over 50 years, is one of the recipients of the Hawker Heritage Award. This award honours time-tested hawker businesses that have successfully passed down management skills and culinary traditions through generations. Mr Sumadi is dedicated to preserving his family’s legacy. In 2017, he launched the family’s signature paste and extended supply to hawker stalls and major supermarkets. He continues to maintain the flavours of authentic Mee Rebus and Mee Soto with extensive research and development. His commitment to heritage and quality has earned strong industry recognition for Warong Pak Sapari, including a place on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list since 2023.
4 Ah Kiat Wanton Mee’s Mr Sin Kok Yin is a recipient of the Enterprising Hawker Award, an award category that celebrates hawkers who have innovated and implemented new business models, strategies, or tools to grow their businesses. Mr Sin has created new dishes inspired by his travels, while maintaining traditional methods and improving productivity with machinery. For instance, he has incorporated salted egg into Wanton Mee, a quintessential hawker dish in Singapore, while making pork lard and Char Siew from scratch. Mr Sin also leverages social media to grow his brand and is attentive to customers’ preferences.
5 The Outstanding Hawker Mentor Award category celebrates individuals who have generously shared their time and expertise with aspiring hawkerpreneurs. Mdm Tee Chun Moy, owner of Rong Xing Yong Tau Fu, brings with her 41 years of experience of making and selling Yong tau foo based on her grandmother’s recipes. In nearly a decade, Mdm Tee has mentored nine aspiring hawkers, driven by her passion to keep hawker culture alive. She guides them every step of the way, from preparing Yong tau foo to making the winning mixture of sweet dark sauce and chilli. Some of her mentees have successfully started their own businesses and she continues to stay connected with them. Mdm Tee is committed to her craft while coming up with healthier recipes, and hopes to inspire even more hawkerpreneurs in the future.
6 The Singapore Hawkers’ Awards continuously recognise the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of hawkers operating cooked food stalls at hawker centres managed by NEA and NEA-appointed operators. Nominations for the awards are submitted by FMAS members, Hawkers’ Associations, or individual hawkers. These are then evaluated by an independent panel of five judges, comprising hawker advocates and representatives from both the public and private sectors with extensive expertise in Singapore’s food and beverage industry.
Awards Recognising Hawker Centres
7 Returning for the second year, the Favourite Hawker Centre Award continues to rally Singaporeans in celebrating hawker centres that have become cherished community dining rooms – spaces where delicious food and warm memories come together. Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre has emerged as this year’s favourite via public vote, with its vibrant atmosphere, diverse offerings, and enduring community spirit.
8 The Healthier Dining Hawker Centre Award, a new award category launched in collaboration with the Health Promotion Board (HPB), recognises hawker centres that encourage healthy eating by serving food made with healthier ingredients. It underscores the important role hawkers play in promoting healthy eating as they dish out well-loved flavours of our Singapore heritage. Five hawker centres with the highest proportion of stalls using healthier ingredients were shortlisted, and the public was invited to cast their votes online for their preferred hawker centre.
9 Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre is the inaugural recipient of this award. The centre has shown exceptional support in promoting healthier dining, with majority of the stalls adopting healthier ingredients. Canopy Hawkers Group (CHG), which manages the hawker centre, encourages stallholders to adopt healthier ways of cooking. Beyond educating them on the importance of sodium reduction, CHG helps stallholders make the switch to lower-sodium ingredients, by providing samples of these healthier alternatives. Additionally, healthier choices available at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre are actively promoted to patrons. Together, these efforts reflect dedication to empowering stallholders and patrons to make better dietary choices.
10 “Introducing the Healthier Dining Hawker Centre Award in partnership with HPB highlights how our hawker community continues to evolve by embracing healthier dining practices. By offering healthier choices while preserving the flavours and traditions of Singaporean cuisine, our hawkers are also inspiring the community to make mindful food choices. It is heartening to see our hawkers lead by example, showing that delicious, traditional dishes can also be healthier,” says Mr Anthony Low, PBM, Chairman of FMAS Hawkers’ Division.
11 “Our hawkers are at the heart of Singapore’s identity. The FMAS Hawkers’ Division plays a vital role in preserving and promoting this cherished legacy, through strong partnerships with stakeholders such as the Hawkers’ Associations, NEA, NHB and HPB. This year’s theme, ‘Honouring Hawkers, Celebrating a Nation’ is particularly fitting as this year marks the fifth anniversary of hawker culture’s inscription in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Our hawkers have demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability in embracing innovation, growth, and healthier dining practices. We are proud to honour their dedication to contribute to the vibrancy of Singapore’s hawker heritage,” said Mr Yeo Hiang Meng, BBM, President of FMAS.
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ANNEX
Recipients of Singapore Hawkers’ Celebration and Awards 2025
Hawker Heritage Award
This Award celebrates hawker brands where management and culinary skills have been passed down through generations and contribute towards the continuation of Singapore Hawker Culture.
| No. | Hawker Name | Stall Name | Type of Food | Age of Hawker Brand | Hawker Centre / Unit Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sumadi Bin Sapari | Warong Pak Sapari | Mee Soto/Mee Rebus | 51 | Adam Food Centre/ #01-09 |
| 2 | Lee Sah Bah | Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh | Chwee Kueh | 58 | Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre/ #01-54 |
| 3 | Syed Abdul Rahaman | Bahrakath Mutton Soup | Mutton Soup | 50+ | Adam Food Centre/ #01-10 |
Enterprising Hawker Award
This Award acknowledges hawkers who have innovated and implemented new business models, strategies, processes, or tools to grow their hawker businesses.
| No. | Hawker Name | Stall Name | Type of Food | Years in Hawker Trade | Hawker Centre / Unit Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lau Wei Yong | Spicelios | Briyani | 11 | Amoy Street Food Centre/ #01-69 |
| 2 | Sin Kok Kin | Ah Kiat Wanton Mee | Wanton Mee | 15 | Bedok 538 Market & Food Centre/ #01-92 |
| 3 | Ngoo Hui Shen | Salt.Singapore | Western Food | 11 | Old Airport Road Food Centre/ #01-128 |
Outstanding Hawker Mentor Award
This Award recognises the contributions of mentors who have dedicated their time and expertise to support and guide aspiring hawker entrepreneurs.
| No. | Hawker Name | Stall Name | Type of Food | Years in Hawker Trade | Years as Mentor | Hawker Centre / Unit Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teo Jiun Ming Jimmy | Huang Da Fu | Bar Chor Mee | 10 | 8 | Commonwealth Crescent Market / #02-94 |
| 2 | Tee Chun Moy | Rong Xing Yong Tau Fu | Yong Tau Fu | 41 | 8 | Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market and Food Centre / #02-04 |
| 3 | Xu Can Bin | Long Ding Seafood | Zi char and Mixed Rice | 10 | 8 | Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre / #02-12 |
Favourite Hawker Centre Award
This Award encourages the community to recognise the hawker centres that have become cornerstones of their daily lives.
| Hawker Centre Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre | 21 Canberra Link, Singapore 756973 |
Healthier Dining Hawker Centre Award
This Award, introduced in collaboration with the Health Promotion Board, recognises hawker centres that promote healthier eating by using healthier ingredients such as lower-sodium salt, sauces and seasonings, wholegrain rice or noodles, and healthier oils.
| Hawker Centre Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre | 21 Canberra Link, Singapore 756973 |