You could call it a successful attempt at mining life for art - and prizes.

A short story and six poems based on her teaching experience made Malay teacher Norlila Abdul Gani the star of the Golden Point Award ceremony on Wednesday night.

Presented by sponsor Singapore Press Holdings and the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation, the literary award ceremony was held at Chamber, The Arts House.

Ms Norlila, 30, a first-time writer, walked away with the top prizes in the poetry and short story categories in Malay.

She wrote a short story, My Teacher, about her class in Millenia Institute and their attitude problems, and a series of poems on her mixed feelings and hopes for her students.

This is the first time that the biennial competition, started in 1992, is restricted to unpublished writers.

It is also the only national creative writing competition in four languages.

Said Ms Noorlina: 'I only entered the competition at the urging of my husband. All the works are inspired by my career.'

First prize winners in each of the four language categories, in both prose and poetry, received $4,000 in cash and a $6,000 enrichment grant.

One of them will get the winning work adapted into a short film.

Mr Edmund Cheng, chairman of the National Arts Council, announced at the awards presentation on Wednesday night that The Arts House is investing $15,000 to adapt one of the top four prize-winning short stories this year into a short film.

On this print-to-screen decision, guest-of-honour and Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi, said: 'It is a remarkable and obvious example of how literary work is the vital fuel that stokes the furnace that is the creative industry.'

This year, some 769 entries poured in from Singapore citizens and permanent residents from all walks of life - including engineers, accountants, social workers and fitness instructors.

This is up from the 653 entries in 2005.

Entries also came from a range of ages.

The oldest winner was retired accountant Poon Heng Wah,68, who penned a classical poem with a creative interpretation of Chinese legends.

He won the top prize in the Chinese poetry section.

On his seniority, he said with a laugh: 'In China and Taiwan, poets are writing until they are in their 80s. I'm very young compared to them.'

The youngest first prize winner was Ma Huaqi, 25, a Literature student at the University of Queensland in Australia.

He took home the top prize in English poetry for his suite of six poems on various themes, including meditating on the Nicoll Highway collapse.

He hoped 'to meet other people interested in the arts and in writing at the ceremony.'

'Hopefully we can exchange ideas with each other, especially with those who write in other languages.'