More Local Poems to be Encountered on Trains, With Nationwide Poetry Writing Competition Inspired by MRT Stations
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. 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.
Interactive digital map which will go live on 15 November
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.
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:
Instagram: @singlitstation
Facebook: @singlitstation
Hashtag: #PoemsOnTheMRT
