Student Achievement Awards

The Student Achievement Awards recognise the Fifth Row and academic achievements of all our students who brought honour to the University, and contributed positively towards the quality and vibrancy of campus life. It symbolises the importance we have accorded to Fifth Rows at SUTD.

The Jyoti and Aditya Mathur Student Achievement Awards recognise outstanding students who have demonstrated exceptional performance in their Fifth Row activities in areas such as, but not limited to, music, arts, community service and sports. These students have brought honour to the University and impacted the SUTD community positively.

The Award may be given to individuals or multiple students and/or groups. The Award is given in the form of a certificate and/or plaque containing a citation. Eligibility for the Award requires that the student, or all students in the receiving group, be enrolled full time at SUTD at the time of the qualifying period.

This Award is administered by the SUTD Office of Student Life through an endowment.

All students and all student organisations can be nominated for any of the awards below.

Laurel Award The Laurel Award recognises students who bring honour and recognition to the university, including their achievements in competitions. These students are dedicated to continuous learning and personal growth, serving as an inspiration to their peers.	Submit Individual/ Group Nomination
Student Leader Excellence Award The Student Leader Excellence Award recognises students who display outstanding leadership skills, team dedication and exemplary role model qualities. They advance the team’s objectives and their contributions enhance campus life. Note: This award is not limited to official appointment holders. All students are eligible. Student Service Excellence Award The Student Service Excellence Award recognises students who contribute significantly to the interests and/or welfare of the university community and enhance the quality of campus life.	Submit Individual Nomination
Community Spirit Award The Community Spirit Award recognises students who demonstrate exceptional leadership and significant commitment to advancing the welfare of the less fortunate and underprivileged within the community. Entrepreneurial Spirit Award The Entrepreneurial Spirit Award recognises students who demonstrate the following for at least two years: Founded a start-up by taking calculated risks and demonstrating success in rolling out a commercially viable product or service; OR Demonstrates the characteristics of risk taking, creativity, and resilience in generating and implementing an idea which positively impacts the SUTD community or beyond; OR Promotes the entrepreneurial spirit within the SUTD community by organising events such as seminars, hackathons, etc. Innovation Spirit Award The Innovation Spirit Award recognises students who demonstrate exceptional creativity, a willingness to take risks, and push the boundaries of what is possible. They effectively implement innovative ideas and show significant dedication and courage in pursuing ongoing enhancements. Their contributions have a meaningful impact on the SUTD and/or wider community, and they actively seek feedback to drive further improvement. Sustainability Spirit Award The Sustainability Spirit Award recognises students who actively raise awareness of good environmental practices and implement sustainability projects that positively impact the environment. These initiatives are aligned to national or international objectives. Additionally, these students collaborate with the community and other stakeholders to expand their efforts and drive greater environmental change.	Submit Individual/ Group Nomination
Resilient Spirit Award The Resilient Spirit Award recognises students who demonstrate exceptional perseverance, adaptability, and hard work in the face of challenges. These students continue to show remarkable strength and resilience despite the odds.	Submit Individual/ Group Nomination
Outstanding Student Committee Award (for non-Student Organisations) The Outstanding Student Committee Award recognises committees/groups that are passionate in advancing their project/committees’ objectives in areas such as: SUTD Community Cohesion (building internal ties); OR Outreach/ Engagement beyond SUTD (building external ties); OR Design Innovation They also demonstrate excellent event management skills. Outstanding Student Organisation Award (for Student Organisations) The Outstanding Student Organisation Award recognises Student Organisations that are passionate in advancing the groups’ objectives, significantly enhancing campus life and vibrancy. These organisations also demonstrate excellent management skills and uphold standards of good governance.	Submit Group Nomination

Please note that the selection panel may place your nomination in another award category if deemed more appropriate.

Selection Panel

The Selection Panel would comprise the following:

Chief of Staff, Student Affairs
Associate Provost, Education
Associate Provost, International Relations
Heads of Pillars
Heads of Clusters
Head, Office of Venture, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (for Entrepreneurial Spirit Award)
Chief Sustainability Officer (for Sustainability Spirit Award)
Head, Office of Student Life
President, Student Government
One Student Association Council Representative
President, Graduate Students Association (for Postgraduate nominees)
One Graduate Students Association Representative (for Postgraduate nominees)
Awards Administrator

The decision of the Selection Panel shall be final and the selection process will be kept confidential.

Nomination Period

The nomination period for the Jyoti and Aditya Mathur Student Achievement Awards opens from 1 November 2024.

Achievements or contributions should be within the qualifying period of 1 March 2024 to 28 February 2025.

About the Donor

Aditya is a Professor and former department head of Computer Science at Purdue University. Jyoti was a Fulbright Scholar at Georgia Tech and later at Purdue. Prior to retirement, Jyoti served as a lecturer and Associate Director of the multi-disciplinary Computational Science and Engineering program at Purdue.

Jyoti and Aditya joined SUTD in 2012. Aditya is the founding head of the ISTD pillar and a passionate educator. His research drive led to the formation of iTrust — a center for research in cyber security at SUTD of which he is the founding Center Director.

Music is an integral part of Jyoti and Aditya’s life. Jyoti plays the Sitar and has given private lessons. She has performed with Sitar maestro Pandit Ravishankar as a background Tanpura player. Jyoti has also directed several Hindi and English plays in India and the US. Aditya plays the Piano and an Indian percussion instrument — the Ghatam. Aditya is also a composer. Choirs and soloists have performed several of his works. His music has also been used as background in dances choreographed by Jyoti.

Both Jyoti and Aditya feel fortunate to have music in their life and family. They love to encourage and support creative artists.

The Academic Awards are established to recognise the outstanding achievements of SUTD students who pursue excellence in their studies of design and technology while contributing significantly to the community. The following two Awards are given out during the Student Achievement Awards:

Keppel Awards of Excellence*	Top 2 students in Freshmore year Top 2 students in ASD, EPD, ESD & ISTD pillars respectively in Junior year Top 2 students in ASD, EPD, ESD & ISTD pillars respectively in Senior year Top 2 students in ASD Master year
MIT Club of Singapore Excellence Award*	Good academic results (within top 5% of cohort based on cumulative GPA); Demonstrate strong leadership potential, creative thinking, passion, collaborative outlook, integrity and character; and Being active in Fifth Row activities of the University and community involvement will be an added advantage.

The other Awards given out during Commencement*:

IES Gold Medal Award for Bachelor of Engineering Programmes	Established to recognise the outstanding achievements of graduating students from the Bachelor of Engineering programmes (Computer Science and Design, Engineering Product Development and Engineering Systems and Design).
The Ngee Ann Kongsi Distinguished Graduating Student Award	Established to recognise the achievements in academic excellence and community contribution of an oustanding student from the graduating cohort.
Singapore Board of Architects Award	Awarded to the best student for the degree of Bachelor of Science (Architecture and Sustainable Design).
SIA Student Awards	Presented by the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) to the student who has passed the Master of Architecture Examinations and has distinguished himself/herself throughout his/her course of study

*No application is required. SUTD will shortlist students for the Award based on their results. SUTD reserves the right not to give out any Award if there are no candidates of sufficient merit. The decision of the selection committee is final. Enquiries or disputes surrounding its decisions will not be entertained.