The Winners
The 2022 Daring Award winners are a spectacular cast of winners that have done amazing things at a very young age. We celebrate community achievement, but also individual achievement - young people working to become the best they can be.
Nathanael Koh
Age 12
The Music Composer
About him
Nathanael is a Singaporean music composer whose work has been recognized by the Prime Minister of New Zealand and has won numerous awards for his musical compositions. Nathanael was diagnosed with Gross Developmental Delay at the age of one as he couldn’t move or crawl. After three to four therapy sessions a week for about five years, doctors said there was no cure or medication. However, as they say, miracles do happen! After a natural forest therapy in New Zealand, he began recovering within six months. Nathanael is now the youngest person in the world to obtain the Licentiate Diploma in Music Composition (Honours).
Nikhil Bohra
Age 17
The F4 Racer
About him
Competing in the elite Italian F4 championship, Nikhil was the first Singapore licensed driver on the podium, achieving a 3rd place rookie finish at the famous Red Bull Ring in Austria 2022. Nikhil exclaims, “The thrill and my will to improve inspires me to put in the work on and off the track. At this point, racing is fully embedded into my character.” Further giving a message to more daring kids, he said, “Without taking risks or venturing outside your comfort zone, you will never know your full potential. By making daring commitments and taking risks, you will find subsequent risks become easier to stomach and your confidence to push limits and boundaries will increase exponentially.”
Zara Khanna
Age 12
The Coder
About her
Founder and coder of Octa, the first chatbot for young travelers to create family itineraries, Zara Khanna, is also the author of "Zara's Travels: From Scotland to Singapore" and Host of "Zara's Travels" on YouTube. She founded "Great", a youth club partnered with Singapore’s iconic ArtScience Museum that explores the ethics of technologies (such as AI, robotics, AR/VR, web3, biotech) through the lens of sci-fi literature, gaming and films.
“Just go for what you believe in! You don't know what's going to happen along the journey, and things might change - you'll hear ‘no’ a lot, and encounter a lot of challenges, but it's important to keep going.”
Alexandros Julian Lim
Age 16
The Artist
About him
A 17-year-old A 17-year-old painter with autism, also known as the ‘UnSkilledBoy’, Alex creates still life, abstract & animal art with water-colour, pencils + acrylic on canvas & paper. Alex has gone on to have his own exhibition and is donating half of the exhibition sales to the Cat Welfare Society
“I'm an autistic artist who loves animals & everyday things. Painting gives me joy, and I hope my paintings will do the same for you.”
Joshua Goh
Age 12
Climate Change Awareness
About him
With a passion to spread awareness about climate change, Joshua was featured in a WWF video and whose content has been used to create awareness for other children by Singapore's the Ministry of Education. “Building things with lego and taking care of my ANTS, is a way for me to destress. As I watch my ant colonies grow, I feel a sense of satisfaction, especially when I see one queen ant grow into a large colony. I choose to raise awareness about global warming so that humanity can have a better future, co-existing along with the nature,” shared Joshua.
Akshay Bohra
Age 15
The Karting Champ
About him
Having raced under the Singapore flag, Akshay finished in the top 10 of the World Series of Karting, the FIA European and World Championships, and was crowned German national karting champion. A motivation to many other aspiring kids, Akshay said, “I have had numerous setbacks including trips to several hospitals, missing an entire year of racing due to Covid, and the constant struggle to balance racing, school, and being away from home. But every time I decided to come back, I realized that If you want something badly enough, work hard, give it your all, and take every opportunity. Give everything you have for what you love.” “The challenge of continuously improving in pursuit of winning against the best in the world is a powerful motivator. People have encouraged me on my daring adventures, and I hope to be able to encourage others as they start their own,” he adds.
Aaron Tay
Age 8
Bringing Laughter
About him
Diagnosed with Lymphoma at the age of 6, Aaron Tay is a cancer survivor who has published a joke book to bring joy to others and is donating to the Children's Cancer Foundation. As the side effects of his treatment made him feel dizzy and even affected his taste buds, his mother would tell him jokes to cheer him up. “It was a very tough period for my family and I. My mother started telling me jokes during mealtimes to cheer me up and to encourage me to eat more. Gradually, I started coming up with my own jokes to cheer up myself and those around me. To me, laughter has always been the best medicine. I hope that I can bring some joy and laughter to others, especially those who are having a hard time. I feel extremely happy and encouraged when I get emails or messages from our readers that the jokes brought them so much joy and that they cannot wait for the next book to be out.”
“I hope that I can bring some joy and laughter to others, especially those who are having a hard time.”
Sophia Vatchcova
Age 13
The Gymnast
About her
Sophia is a Rhythmic Gymnast who has been competing since she was 8 and even went on to win the Singapore Nationals for Under 12. Sophia is a daring kid in various aspects of life as she also recently climbed Mount Kinabalu base camp at 3,270m. Talking about her passion for Rhythmic Gymnastics, she said, “I do what I do because I love competing and I love how rhythmic gymnastic combines sports and arts. According to me to be daring always meant to push yourself even when it’s really hard.”
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