GUA News: A New Chapter Begins
We don't do things by halves at the GUA and our new Singapore chapter is no exception
May 6, 2026
by Diane Nolan
On May 21st, a new chapter begins—both literally and structurally—for The Global Undergraduate Awards as we launch a new platform designed to support Alumni and open our first official Chapter (outside of Ireland)
Since 2013, Singapore has quietly become one of the strongest recognised regional hubs for the Global Undergraduate Awards, its collective community of strong institutions representing over 10% of all winners. That level of consistency says something important, and it speaks to a culture that values depth of thought, academic ambition and a willingness to engage beyond borders.
Launching a Singapore Chapter is not an expansion for the sake of it. It is a recognition of what is already there, and a commitment to supporting the growth mindset for all our alumni in a more meaningful way.
Launching a Singapore Chapter is not an expansion for the sake of it. It is a recognition of what is already there, and a commitment to supporting the growth mindset for all our alumni in a more meaningful way.
Alongside this, we will be introducing our Alumni Hub GUA Together, a platform designed to bring our Award-Winning World-Changing Community together again to continue to build on their connections and form closer bonds.
With multidisciplinary spaces for further discussion, mentoring, ideas and opportunities to grow long after the moment of recognition has passed.
When our team chose Singapore as the starting point, it was clear that a platform alone would not be enough.
What has always defined our work is the coming together of people, in person, around ideas that matter.
That meant the Singapore Chapter needed more than structure. It needed leadership from people who understood what makes the GUA special.
Finding alumni to shape and sustain the chapter became just as important as building the platform itself. Because the strength of the Global Undergraduate Awards has never rested solely in the work recognised, but in the people who gather around it, who champion their and who carry its principles forward.
Our chapters must reflect that same standard. Not just as networks, but as communities built on shared belief in the value of world-changing ideas and the people behind them.
Singapore feels like the right place to begin, and this feels like the right way to do it. Congratulations Haajah and Nadirah
Two leaders, one shared connection and a strong sense of community.
At the centre of this chapter are two individuals who represent the very best of what the Global Undergraduate Awards can become.
Nurul Syahirah Nadirah Noorrisham or Nadirah for short – was Highly Commended in 2023 in the Literature category and made her first trip to the Summit in Dublin. Unassumingly watching and learning from those that achieved Global Winner status she went home determined to climb higher, with a renewed sense of purpose she did more than that and in 2024 became global Winner for Literaure as well as gaining 2 more Highly commended awards for completely separate pieces of work. Her journey reflects persistence, craft and a clear intellectual voice was determined to be heard.
Haajar Binte Arman – Regional Winner for Asia in 2024 for Politics & International Relations, brings a perspective shaped by critical thinking, global awareness and a deep engagement with the systems that shape our world. She also came with a special story, meeting Nadirah at the Summit in 2024 she realised that they were at the same University but had never struck up a conversation until Dublin. Heading back they met on campus and their friendship has endured since.
Their selection as co-chairs was unanimous amongst our board selected for their iniciative, ideas and agency.
We would like to congratulate our Co-Chairs ahead of the launch and hope that many of our regional Alumni will be there to welcome them at the Launch Event May 21st 2026
A shared story between Singapore and Ireland
There is also something fitting in how this chapter connects back to Ireland.
Both Ireland and Singapore are small nations with a global mindset. Both have built influence not through scale, but through the strength of their ideas, their education systems and their ability to stay connected to their people wherever they are in the world.
That same thinking sits at the heart of the Global Undergraduate Awards. Talent is not something to be contained in one place. It is something to be recognised, connected and given the opportunity to grow.
The Singapore Chapter reflects that shared outlook. Local in its presence, global in its perspective.
The launch of the Singapore Chapter and the introduction of GUA Together is a step towards an even more connected future for this community of multidiciplinary thought leaders.
Where the GUA Annual Global Summit in Dublin brings minds, ideas and winners together for a moment, this is the vision for how it continues, to bring connectivity and growth afterwards and onwards.
With Nadirah and Haajar leading the way, there is a strong sense that this chapter will be shaped with care, intention and a genuine understanding of what this community can offer each other.
Singapore feels like the right place to begin, and this feels like the right way to do it.
