The winner of the singapore prize receives both a cash prize and an engraved trophy. It is the nation’s second highest literary prize after the Epigram Books Fiction Prize – and it now includes a short film category as well. The prestigious award was established in 1984 and has been supported by the government. It is open to works published in the Chinese, English or Malay languages.
The first Singapore History Prize has been awarded to a book that broadens the definition of history in this nation. The book, Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800 by archaeologist Prof John Miksic, was among 29 submissions to win the prize administered by NUS’ Department of History. The judges said it is “a groundbreaking book that will change the way we understand our city.”
Four authors made the final shortlist, which included works about the sarong kebaya, the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Bukit Ho Swee fire. Tamil writer rma cureess also won two awards, winning the Readers’ Favourite and Tamil Fiction categories. She beat out a seasoned group of writers including Daryl Qilin Yam and Pan Zheng Lei.
The award winners were announced at a ceremony in Victoria Theatre on Tuesday. All 12 winners received a hand-crafted trophy and 12-month gift codes to audiobook platform StoryTel. Several new faces joined the winners, with eight of the 12 awardees being first-time winners. The 62nd edition of the event was held under tight security, with media and spectators being segregated and vetted.
During his visit to Singapore, the Prince will meet with local organisations working to combat wildlife poaching and climate change. He will also be hosted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loon and will attend the United for Wildlife summit, a forum bringing together representatives from law enforcement agencies, conservation groups and corporations to discuss ways to curb illegal trafficking of endangered species.
The heir to the British throne will visit the Changi Airport for a tour of its sustainable features, which include a 40-meter high Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall. He will then travel to NUS for a ceremony for the first Singapore History Prize, which was launched in 2014 to encourage writing that explores different perspectives of Singapore’s past and to attract a wide range of authors. The prize is sponsored by the royal foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and York, which is named after William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The competition is open to anyone who has written a work about the city and its history between January 2017 and November 2020. It is administered by NUS’ Department of History. This year’s prize celebrates the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s independence. It is the first of three biennial Singapore prizes to be awarded. The previous two went to a post-earthquake reconstruction project in a village in China’s Yunnan province, and an extension to the National Museum of Poland in Szczecin. The competition is supported by the government of Singapore.
