SAF Young Leader Award (SYLA)

The SAF Young Leaders Award recognises outstanding students with strong leadership potential. It offers early exposure to MINDEF/SAF through programmes, scholarship talks and engagement activities.

Last updated 28 July 2025

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Criteria for SAF Young Leader Award

Value of Award

Past SYLA recipients

"SYLA Young Leader Award" over a cityscape with planes, a drone, and Singapore's Marina Bay Sands.

The SAF Young Leader Award (SYLA) was first introduced in 2014 to recognise individuals with excellent academic achievements and outstanding CCA performance. The award seeks to motivate you in your continued pursuit of excellence and your journey in becoming our future leaders.

An average of 20 recipients are awarded every year. As part of the application process, you are required to submit an essay on a defence-related topic. Shortlisted candidates will subsequently attend an interview and a one-day assessment session.

Applications for the SAF Young Leader Award 2026 will open in Nov 2025.

Criteria for SAF Young Leader Award

Students who:

Are Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents intending to take up citizenship
Are Junior College Year 1, Polytechnic Year 1 or 2 and International Baccalaureate Year 5 (as of 2025)
Demonstrate academic excellence
Display strong leadership qualities through co-curricular activities (CCAs)
Are passionate about defence-related issues

Value of Award

As a recipient of the SAF Young Leader Award, you enjoy the following:

$2,500 cash award
Exclusive opportunities to attend MINDEF/SAF programmes, scholarship talks and engagement activities to understand the career prospects in MINDEF/SAF
A scholarship interview* for overseas studies upon application

*Male recipients need to be enlisted into SAF in order to be considered for military scholarships

If you have any questions, please drop an email to msc_events@defence.gov.sg.