The Singapore Prize, established by an anonymous donor to foster interest in Singaporean history among all Singaporeans, will be presented every two years from 2018-2021 and worth S$100,000. Awarded between 2018 and 2021, this biennial award aims to stimulate public curiosity about our history through non-fiction works such as non-fiction books. In 2018, however, an Arts & Multimedia category will also be added in order to recognize works such as documentaries, visual art pieces, theatre productions, performing arts performances and music works that feature Singapore’s story among all Singaporeans.
Submissions for the Prize open June 1 and close May 31 each year, allowing interested applicants from anywhere around the world to submit works containing distinct Singapore historical themes. Applicants can also utilize nontraditional mediums, such as audiobooks or videos; these must all be delivered in English (works translated into this language are acceptable).
For this inaugural award, a creative work that captures the spirit of Singapore and encourages compassion, empathy and voluntarism will be honored with this prize. Additionally, special consideration will be given to outstanding pieces that demonstrate how social history plays a part in shaping Singaporean identity.
Yesterday night at the Singapore Literature Prize ceremony, 17 writers, translators and comic artists received awards at a Singapore Literature Prize ceremony. A panel of judges representing publishing, academia and arts selected the winners. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam presided over the ceremony where Singapore Literature Prize awards were presented across four languages by Tharman Shanmugaratnam himself. A special prize was also given out posthumously to Suratman Markasan’s daughter who accepted this honour on her father’s behalf.
At this event, winners of the Singapore Science Prize were also celebrated and awarded with medals. First introduced as National Science and Technology Awards in 1987 before receiving Presidential status in 2009, these accolades represent some of the highest honours bestowed upon scientists and engineers for upholding research excellence, supporting scientific talent development within Singapore, and making significant contributions towards national challenges through innovation, knowledge application in healthcare, education, energy use management or transport systems – such as healthcare delivery or environmental preservation.
As part of the evening’s sustainability theme, award winners were encouraged to wear sustainable fashion. William donned a 10-year-old dark green blazer from Alexander McQueen while co-host Yen Yen donned an organic floral dress made with recycled fabrics from brand Moogly. Additionally, guests were treated to food from a vegan restaurant as well as music by bands One Republic and Bastille.
At this year’s Singapore Prize event, Dr Alan HJ Chan’s 2023 Spirit of Singapore Book Prize was also unveiled. Established through a donation by Dr Alan HJ Chan (deceased), this award aimed to encourage citizens of Singapore to display its spirit by being compassionate, empathetic, volunteering or engaging in activism. Nanyang Girls’ High School and Hwa Chong Institute received this prestigious prize while entries came from members of the public too!