The Poems on the MRT initiative enters its second iteration with more widespread ways to connect the public to the world of Sing Lit
Singapore, 5 November 2025 – From 6 November 2025, more local poems and poets can be discovered on train journeys as part of the second iteration of Poems on the MRT, an initiative by the National Arts Council (NAC), in partnership with SMRT Trains and Stellar Ace. This year’s expanded campaign moves beyond featuring local poetry on in-train panels to the online sphere – an interactive digital map of Singapore’s MRT network will be launched, allowing members of the public to submit poems inspired by, or featuring, specific MRT stations and neighbourhoods. On the lookout for writing inspiration? Hop onto the MRT network and try to spot all 145 featured poems across 40 trains on the East-West, North-South and Circle Lines, and stand a chance to win prizes as part of a “Poetry Hunt” competition.
Produced by local literary non-profit organisation Sing Lit Station (SLS), Poems on the MRT scales up with the addition of more poems across more trains, posters at stations and bus stops, and larger-scale public engagement initiatives. The addition of new poems continues to enrich the multilingual poetry selection that reflects the diversity of Singapore’s literary landscape. The campaign will run from 6 November 2025 to 4 November 2026.
New poems, more trains: Bringing Sing Lit to even more people
In collaboration with SLS, the team of curators consisting of Joshua Ip, Zhou Decheng, Farihan Bahron and Noridah Kamari from Unggun Creative, and Inbha have worked together to introduce an additional 50 poems across English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The curation highlights new titles published this year, as well as a more diverse set of names across all languages, drawing from a pool of award-winning poets and fresh faces.
Accompanying English translations continue to be displayed alongside the featured poems, made possible through the work of translators Alfian Sa’at, Shelly Bryant, Joshua Ip, Sulosana Karthigasu, Inbha, and Aravindan, who provided their expertise in ensuring the accessibility of the translated language while maintaining the essence of the original poems. Please refer to Annex A for the list of featured Sing Lit poets. The complete selection of poems and translations will be available online at go.gov.sg/potm from 6 November 2025, and can also be accessed by scanning the QR codes found on train panels.
Full train on the Circle Line; introduction of new panel illustrations
Train up for MRT-inspired competitions
From 7 November 2025 to 8 February 2026, the Poems on the MRT Writing Competition invites the public to submit original poems inspired by Singapore’s MRT network and its neighbourhoods. The interactive digital map will go live from 15 November to showcase these submissions and serve as a repository of local poetry for each station, allowing users to explore the city through poetry in a site-specific way and vote for their favourites. Submissions will be assessed by a panel of three judges, who will select the winning entries for the three categories of Adult, Secondary, and Primary. In addition, the Popular Vote category will recognise the top three fan favourites amongst the submissions. Winners will be awarded cash vouchers according to prize categories.
For those who prefer to train their ability to spot poems over flexing their writing prowess, embark on the Poetry Hunt, which will turn daily commutes into a poetic scavenger hunt. Members of the public are invited to spot and photograph as many unique poems as they can find on the trains and submit them online. The contest encourages commuters to slow down, look up, and discover the richness of our local poetry. Participants will stand a chance to win prizes such as customised stationery and bookstore vouchers based on their number of submissions. Those who spot every featured poem stand a chance to win a Kobo eReader preloaded with Sing Lit titles. A poetry train spotting tip? Featured Circle Line trains are fully covered with poems across the carriages, allowing participants to check off several poems at a go.
To complement the in-train campaign, a social media contest will be launched in February 2026, following the rollout of a series of carousel posts on Sing Lit Station’s Instagram page. These posts – released in stages from December 2025 to January 2026 – will feature all 145 poems from the Poems on the MRT campaign, creating a visual library of Singapore’s literary voices. From February onwards, members of the public will be invited to share their favourite excerpt on Instagram, along with a short caption on why it resonates with them. Prizes up for grabs include an exclusive set of Poems on the MRT-themed magnets, designed as collectible keepsakes that bring poetry into everyday life. More details on the contest and other public engagement initiatives can be found in Annex B.
Fiona Chan, Chair of the Board, SLS said, “We want people to keep discovering Singaporean poems on our Singaporean trains. Riding on the success of the inaugural run of Poems on the MRT last year, we’re expanding the campaign’s reach and inviting the public to play a more active role in engaging with poetry – by writing their own. This year, you will not only have the chance to read poetry on your daily commute, but to write poetry, submit it online and win cash prizes for putting your thoughts and feelings into words. We hope this helps bring Sing Lit beyond the classrooms and bookstores, into your everyday lives.”
For more information on Poems on the MRT and the full list of featured poems, please visit go.gov.sg/potm from 6 November 2025. You may also refer to:
- Annex A – List of featured Sing Lit poets
- Annex B – About Poems on the MRT and public engagement activities
| Instagram: @singlitstation | Facebook: @singlitstation | Hashtag: #PoemsOnTheMRT |
Annex A
List of featured Sing Lit Poets (New poets are indicated with an asterisk)
English
Aaron Lee Aaron Maniam Alfian Sa’at Ally Chua Alvin Pang
Amanda Chong Angeline Yap Ann Ang
Boey Kim Cheng Cheryl Julia Lee Christine Chia Crispin Rodrigues Cyril Wong
Daren Shiau Daryl Lim
David Wong Hsien Ming Divya Victor
Eddie Tay Edwin Thumboo
Eric Tinsay Valles Felix Cheong Fiona Sze-Lorrain Gilbert Koh
Goh Poh Seng Gwee Li Sui Heng Siok Tian Izyanti Asa’ari Jerrold Yam Jollin Tan Jonathan Chan Koh Buck Song Lawrence Ypil Lee Jing-Jing Lee Tzu Pheng Leong Liew Geok Loh Guan Liang Madeleine Lee Marc Nair
Mok Zining MR Mizan Nabilah Said Ng Yi-sheng
Ong Teong Hean Paul Tan
Pooja Nansi Robert Yeo
Rodrigo Dela Peña Jr. Samuel Caleb Wee Samuel Lee
Simon Tay Stephanie Chan Theophilus Kwek Toh Hsien Min Tse Hao Guang Wahid Al Mamun Wang Gungwu Wong May
Yeow Kai Chai Yong Shu Hoong
*Ang Shuang
*Chrystal Ho
*Charlene Shepherdson
*Zhang Ruihe
*Tricia Tan
*ArunDitha
*Esther Vincent Xueming
*Rosaly Puthucheary
*Ho Poh Fun
*Jason Wee
*Pamela Seong Koon
*Natalie Wang
*Cheng Him
Chinese
孤星子, Andy Ang Lai Sheng
欧筱佩, Aw Seow Pooi
淡莹, Dan Ying
贺尔, He Er (Seow Joo Chuan)刘瑞金, Henry Low Swee Kim梁文福, Liang Wern Fook
林得楠, Denon Lim Denan
林高, Lin Gao
潘正镭, Pan Cheng Lui
王润华, Prof Wong Yoon Wah
黃文傑, Wang Mun Kiat
伍政玮, Ng Zhengwei
英培安, Yeng Pway Ngon
语凡, Yu Fan
邹璐, Zou Lu
*周德成, Zhou Decheng
*蔡深江, Chua Chim Kang
*黄广青, Enoch Ng Kwan Cheng
*林方, Lin Fang
*木子（李茀民）, Lee Hock Ming Mu Zi
* 郭永秀, Quek Yong Siu
*沈斯涵, Shen Sihan
*陈志锐, Tan Chee Lay
*黄凯德, Wong Koi Tet
*希尼尔, Xi Ni Er
*周粲, Zhou Can
*吴耀宗, Gabriel Wu Yeow Chong
*陈晞哲, Tan Xi Zhe
Malay
Abdul Ghani Hamid Djamal Tukimin Farihan Bahron Hadijah Rahmat Isa Kamari
Juffri Supa’at Masuri S.N
Mohamed Latiff Mohamed Muhammad Ariff Ahmad Nordita Taib
Sofia Nin
Suratman Markasan
Wan Jumaiah bte Mohd Jubri Yatiman Yusof
*Ahmad Syarif
*Aisyah Lyana
*H.B. Johar
*Hamed Ismail
*Hartinah Ahmad
*Herman Rothman
*Muhammad Khairool Haque
*Noridah Kamari
*Norulashikin Jamain
*Peter Augustine Goh
*Samsudin Said
Tamil
க.து.மு. இக்பால், KTM Iqbal லதா, Latha
எம். ேசகர், M. Segar மு.அ.மசூது, A.R.Mashuthoo
ஷிவ்ராம் ேகாபிநாத், Shivram Gopinath சித்துராஜ் ெபான்ராஜ், Sithuraj Ponraj சுேலாசனா கார்த்திேகசு, Sulosana Karthigasu
*அ.கி.வரதராசன், A.K. Varadharajan
*ேகா.இளங்ேகாவன், G. Elangovan
*ஹரிணி V., Harini V
*இன்பா, Inbha
*பிச்சினிக்காடு இளங்ேகா, Marimuthu Arumugam Elango
*தா. மதிக்குமார், Mathikumar Thayumanavan
*ந.வீ.சத்தியமூர்த்தி, N.V.Sathiyamoorthy
*நிலாகண்ணன், Nilakannan
*நூர்ஜஹான் சுைலமான், Noorjehan Sulaiman
*பனைச நடராஜன், Panasai Natarajan
*பாத்ேதறல் இளமாறன், Patheraal Illamaran
*ராஜூ ரேமஷ், Raju Ramesh
*யூசூப் ரஜித் ராவுத்தர், Yousuf Rowther Rajid
Annex B
About Poems on the MRT
Various locations
From 6 November 2025
Returning for the second edition, Poems on the MRT is an initiative by the National Arts Council in partnership with SMRT Trains and Stellar Ace, brought to life by Sing Lit Station. From 6 November 2025, more local poems and poets can be discovered on train journeys, along with public engagement initiatives including MRT-inspired competitions which aim to bring the literary experience beyond train carriages and into the digital sphere.
For more information, visit go.gov.sg/potm from 6 November 2025. Follow Sing Lit Station for more updates on Facebook and Instagram at @singlitstation, and use the hashtag #PoemsOnTheMRT.
| Activities | Details |
| In-train panels Short excerpts of 145 Sing Lit poems in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil will be displayed within trains, with English translations for the poems in mother tongue languages. Commuters may scan QR codes to read the full poems and translations. | Location: North-South, East-West, and Circle Line trains Date: 6 November 2025 – 4 November 2026 |
| Posters at train stations and bulletins at bus stops This is a new addition for the campaign’s second iteration. 20 of the poetry excerpts across the languages will also appear at various train stations and bus stops islandwide, accompanied by new illustrations that reimagine local playgrounds into book nooks. | Location: Various train stations and bus stops islandwide Date: 6 November 2025 to 6 May 2026 (train stations); 6 November 2025 to 4 February 2026 (bus stops) |
| Animated video in trains Engaging short animated video inside MRT trains celebrating a culture of reading and literary appreciation. | Location: Trains along the East-West and North-South lines Date: 7 November 2025 – 5 February 2026 |
| Poems on the MRT Writing Competition A nationwide poetry writing competition inviting participants to submit original poems inspired by Singapore’s MRT stations and neighbourhoods, showcased through a digital map of the city. Visitors can also vote for their favourite poems. Guidelines and how to participate: Visit the submission page on go.gov.sg/potmSubmit your poem as a Word document (.docx)Ensure that your file name is formatted as follows: ‘Station Name_Poet Name_Poem Title’. *Entries should not exceed 2 pages, Times New Roman, Size 12, Single Spacing. **Competition is open to all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents Visit go.gov.sg/potm from 7 November 2025 – 8 February 2026 for more info on how to submit your poems and the judging criteria! Prizes Adult (18 & above) First: $600 Second: $400 Third: $200 Secondary Category (13 – 17) First: $300 Second: $200 Third: $100 Primary Category (6 – 12) First: $100 Second: $80 Third: $50 Popular Vote (Any age) First: $300 Second: $200 Third: $100 | Location: Online (go.gov.sg/potm) Competition Dates: 7 November 2025 – 8 February 2026 Judges’ Deliberation: 9 February – 9 March 2026 Prize Presentation & Poetry Reading: 26 March 2026 (Thursday), 5pm – 8pm |
| Poetry Hunt Competition A poetry scavenger hunt that encourages commuters to spot, photograph, and share poems displayed across the MRT network for a chance to win exclusive prizes. How to participate: Participants are invited to hunt for as many poems as possible in the wild by taking photographs of the displayed | Location: MRT stations and in trains Date: 1 December 2025 – 28 February 2026 |
| works and submitting them online through the competition link available at www.go.gov.sg/potm. Prizes Participants who submit the most number of unique poems will stand a chance to win prizes such as customised stationery and bookstore vouchers based on their number of submissions. Those who spot every featured poem stand a chance to win a Kobo eReader preloaded with Sing Lit titles. | |
| Poems on the MRT Social Media Contest A digital activation on Instagram where participants share their favourite poem excerpts and reflections to celebrate and spread the love for Sing Lit online. All 145 featured poems will be posted on Sing Lit Station’s Instagram page (@singlitstation) in stages through a series of carousel posts from December 2025 to January 2026. How to participate: Step 1: Visit Sing Lit Station’s Instagram page (@singlitstation) and share their favourite excerpt from the campaign on Instagram. Step 2: Write a short caption on why the excerpt resonates with them. Step 3: Tag @singlitstation to enter the contest. Winners will be decided based on the creativity and thoughtfulness of their captions. Prizes Participants will stand a chance to win an exclusive set of Poems on the MRT-themed fridge magnets, designed as collectible keepsakes that further embed poetry into everyday life. | Location: Sing Lit Station’s Instagram page (@singlitstation) Date: 1 February – 28 February 2026 |
, in partnership with SMRT Trains and Stellar Ace. This year’s expanded campaign moves beyond featuring local poetry on in-train panels to the online sphere – an interactive digital map of Singapore’s MRT network will be launched, allowing members of the public to submit poems inspired by, or featuring, specific MRT stations and neighbourhoods. On the lookout for writing inspiration? Hop onto the MRT network and try to spot all 145 featured poems across 40 trains on the East-West, North-South and Circle Lines, and stand a chance to win prizes as part of a “Poetry Hunt” competition.){kind=link}