The Singapore National Arts Council (NAC) has announced that a record number of 17 recipients were recognised as 'Distinguished Patrons of the Arts' at the recent 2002 Patron of the Arts Award presentation ceremony. The award is presented to arts sponsors who are deemed to have made sustained or substantial contributions to the arts in Singapore. As the nation's foremost recognition for arts sponsorship, the award is conferred yearly by the Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts. Receiving the Distinguished Patron of the Arts Award for the first time were DBS Bank, Singapore Pools (Private) Ltd and the family of the late Dr Tan Tsze Chor, for their contributions to Singapore arts valued at more than SG$1.5 million. They join 14 other longstanding Distinguished Patrons, including the Singapore Totalisator Board, Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Airlines Ltd. The 2002 Patron of the Arts Awards are based on contributions made from January 1 to December 31, 2001. The four levels of award are as follows: Associate of the Arts, $50-$99,999; Friend of the Arts Award, $100,00-$299,999; Patron of the Arts Award, $300,00 and above. The Distinguished Patron of the Arts Award is granted to individuals or organisations which have met at least one of the following criteria: maintained a minimum contribution of $300,000 after receiving the Distinguished Patron of the Arts Award; received the Patron of the Arts Award on the fifth consecutive occasion; made a one-time contribution of $1.5 million or above; accumulated a total contribution of $1.5 million within five years from 1995 onwards. In total SG$37 million in sponsorship was recorded for the 2001 period. A full list of recipients in each category is available online at: www.nac.gov.sg/fullnews.asp?psno=207