Singapore Prize Launches New Book and Prize Book
The Singapore Prize is one of the most prestigious home-grown literary awards in the country. It recognises published works of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction in Singapore’s four official languages – Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. It also honours outstanding contributions to Singapore’s society by writers who are citizens or permanent residents. The prize, which was established in 2014, is worth over US$200,000.
The inaugural Singapore Prize was awarded to archaeologist Professor John Miksic of the National University of Singapore Department of Southeast Asian Studies for his book Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300 – 1800. Prof Miksic’s book tells the story of Singapore’s long and rich history using archaeological evidence from various sites across the city-state.
In line with the sustainability theme, the award ceremony had an eco-friendly look, with Prince William and other presenters wearing old clothes to conserve resources. The Prince wore a 10-year-old dark green blazer by Alexander McQueen, while actress Mbatha opted for an outfit made of organic cotton.
To help promote the prize, the organizers of the event arranged a number of activities to showcase Singapore’s vibrant arts and culture scene. They included concerts, art exhibitions and performances by local talent. A series of talks was also held to promote the prize and its goals.
The Harvard Prize Book was launched to inspire pre-tertiary students to pursue higher education. It features stories of students who have a strong desire to serve others. Muhammad Dinie, a student from Institute of Technical Education, College Central, shared how he and his classmates helped to distribute food vouchers and thank-you cards to Town Council cleaners during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition, the Prize Book highlights Singapore’s sports achievements and aims to motivate young people to excel in their respective fields. For example, Singapore kiteboarder Max Maeder could win the biggest prize of $1 million under the Major Games Award Programme (MAP), which offers cash payouts to athletes who win medals at the Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth games and South East Asian Games.
Similarly, the prize money for Singapore Pools draws has risen from USD $280,000 to USD $450,000. The winner is chosen by a panel of judges from the worlds of academia, industry and government. The prize is not a lump sum but an annuity with payments that grow over time.
The prize’s selection process is a complex affair that includes an open call for nominations. Nominations are evaluated by a distinguished jury chaired by Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow at the NUS Asia Research Institute. The final list of candidates will be announced in Oct 2021. The judging panel will include eminent academics and experts from the public sector, as well as former winners of the award. The winner will be honoured at a gala ceremony in November 2021. The prize’s founding partner, Conservation International, will bring its extensive expertise in spotlighting and advancing the benefits of nature for humanity. Its vast network of partners committed to scalable solutions will also help to shape the search for the prize’s future winners.