Singapore has introduced a national reading initiative that encourages citizens to spend at least 15 minutes a day reading, with virtual rewards offered for qualifying sessions. The ReadSG Challenge, organised by the National Library Board (NLB), uses gamification to encourage consistent reading and make books part of everyday routines. Participants can earn virtual coins through the CrowdTaskSG platform, with reports stating that each qualifying session earns 20 coins. The five-year movement comes as officials highlight concerns about excessive short-form digital content and the importance of sustained reading. Through daily targets, reading streaks and additional incentives, the initiative seeks to encourage long-form reading and foster a stronger reading culture across Singapore.
Singapore’s 15-minute reading challenge aims to curb doomscrolling
The National Library Board has introduced ReadSG as a five-year national movement to encourage Singaporeans to make reading a daily habit. The initiative comes amid concerns about changing reading patterns in an increasingly digital environment, where short-form content competes for people’s attention. Its ReadSG Challenge uses the government-run CrowdTaskSG platform to encourage participants to log at least 15 minutes of reading each day. Qualifying sessions earn virtual coins that can be exchanged for cash-valued rewards. Rather than simply promoting reading as a leisure activity, the campaign aims to encourage sustained engagement with books and develop a long-term reading culture. The NLB says reading can strengthen focus, critical thinking and imagination, while the challenge uses small daily targets to make the habit easier to establish.
What is the ReadSG Challenge?
The ReadSG Challenge is one of the initiatives under Singapore’s five-year national reading movement, launched by the National Library Board on 6 September 2026.The challenge runs on CrowdTaskSG, a government digital platform that allows users to complete activities and earn rewards. Participants can log their daily reading sessions and collect virtual coins as they work towards building a consistent reading habit.The programme includes personal goal-setting, reading streaks and experience points. The NLB’s wider ReadSG movement aims to promote reading as a lifelong habit and establish a shared reading culture.
How citizens earn virtual coins for reading
Participants can earn 20 virtual coins for each qualifying reading session of at least 15 minutes. Only one session can be logged per day, and users declare their reading activity through CrowdTaskSG.The reported conversion rate is 1,000 virtual coins for S$1. This means each qualifying session is worth two Singapore cents in cash-valued rewards.Participants must complete 50 sessions to accumulate 1,000 coins. The financial incentive is modest, with the challenge primarily designed to encourage regular reading rather than generate income.
Why Singapore wants people to read more
The NLB has raised concerns about the way people consume information in the digital age. The organisation has pointed to the abundance of short-form content and the challenge of maintaining deeper engagement with longer texts.Melissa Tam, chief executive of the NLB, said that people can scroll through hundreds of headlines, watch videos or obtain summaries of information. She explained that the 15-minute reading target is intended to encourage small, consistent actions that can develop into lasting habits.The organisation describes reading as beneficial for focus, critical thinking, imagination and making sense of the world. These are the campaign’s stated objectives and claimed benefits, rather than outcomes that have already been demonstrated through an evaluation of the ReadSG Challenge.
How gamification encourages reading habits
The ReadSG Challenge incorporates game-inspired features to make daily reading more engaging. Participants can set personal goals, maintain reading streaks and earn experience points as they complete activities.The programme also includes redeemable virtual coins and other incentives. These features are intended to encourage people to return to the challenge regularly and track their progress over time.The NLB’s approach focuses on making reading manageable by setting a daily target of 15 minutes. The aim is to encourage consistency rather than require people to spend long periods reading from the beginning.
Read for Good links reading with charitable causes
Alongside the reading challenge, ReadSG includes a charitable initiative called Read for Good, previously known as Read for Books.The programme encourages participants to read for 15 minutes a day while contributing towards charitable causes supporting communities such as kidsREAD and MINDS. The official ReadSG website lists Read for Good activities from 6 September to 7 October 2026.Read for Good is a separate charitable component of the broader reading movement. Its fundraising arrangements should not be confused with the virtual coins participants earn through the ReadSG Challenge.
Singapore’s five-year plan to build a reading culture
ReadSG replaces the National Reading Movement and represents a new phase in Singapore’s efforts to promote reading. The NLB launched the initiative during the country’s inaugural National Reading Month.The wider movement includes activities designed to bring people together around books and reading. Its launch featured themed reading spaces, activity booths, a marketplace and a mass reading session at the National Library Building.President Tharman Shanmugaratnam attended the launch as guest of honour and serves as the campaign’s patron. The NLB has also set a target of 150,000 sign-ups for its initiatives as an initial step in the movement.The NLB presents sustained reading as an activity that can support focus, critical thinking and imagination. These potential benefits provide part of the rationale for encouraging people to spend less time on rapidly changing digital content and more time engaging with longer texts.The ReadSG Challenge is designed to encourage a reading habit. Whether it produces measurable improvements in attention, critical thinking or long-term reading frequency will require evidence from future assessment.
