Five years in, Best Foot Forward just had its strongest run yet
2,472 participants. 105,567km covered. S$284,000 raised for NTU students. The stories behind the numbers are worth reading.
Text: Vivien Yap
Azhar Abdul Salam raised S$9,340.50 for NTU students, despite nursing a football injury throughout the entire Best Foot Forward 2026 fundraising campaign.
The Head of Communications and Branding at NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) trained after work, pushed through a challenging 7km during the X Campus Run flag-off event, and spent gatherings rallying his former students from his lecturing days at Nanyang Polytechnic.
His motivation was straightforward.
“I know the money will go to students from underprivileged backgrounds. I have a soft spot for them, because I was one of them. I received scholarships when I was an undergraduate and am forever grateful.”
Azhar, who is also an NTU alumnus, was Best Foot Forward 2026's top individual fundraiser. But his story is one of many from a campaign that delivered its strongest results to date.
Azhar (first row, fifth from right) and the rest of Team EEE45 rallied together during X Campus Run earlier this year.
Now in its fifth year, NTU’s flagship virtual fundraiser brought together a record 2,472 participants – the highest to date – who walked, ran and cycled in support of the University. Collectively, they raised S$284,290 and clocked 105,567km, surpassing all previous benchmarks in participation, funds raised and total distance.
“What moves me most is knowing that behind every dollar raised, there's a student who gets to focus on their studies instead of worrying about how to pay for them. That's what Best Foot Forward is really about,” said Ms See E’jin, NTU’s Chief Development Officer.
One of the standout team efforts came from the School of EEE. Rallying under Team EEE45 in celebration of the School’s 45th anniversary, staff, students and alumni came together to raise S$22,787 – more than five times their previous year’s total.
Professor Er Meng Hwa, an Emeritus Professor with the School, reflected on what drove that result: “The outcome was not driven by any single effort, but by many individuals coming together and contributing in their own ways.”
The energy spread across the University. TeamNIE from the National Institute of Education and Team NBS Kakis from Nanyang Business School both featured prominently on the leaderboard, reflecting how deeply the campaign has taken root across NTU’s Schools and Institutes.
Every dollar raised goes directly to NTU students who need it most – through bursaries and funds that keep financial hardship from standing between a student and their education.
Support the next student who needs it. Give at ➡️ www.ntu.edu.sg/giving.
