Singapore Prize Winner Announced
The Singapore prize is a biennial award that recognises works of non-fiction that shed light on Singapore’s history. This year, the prize was awarded to a book called Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800 by archaeologist John Miksic. It is available for purchase at Kinokuniya bookstores and on the NUS Press website. The prize, which carries a cash award of S$50,000, was mooted by NUS Asia Research Institute distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani in an opinion column in the Straits Times. The prize is open to authors of non-fiction historical accounts that are published during the application period. A four-member jury panel will decide the winner.
Mahbubani was part of the jury panel that picked this year’s winner, noting that the book addresses a gap in Singapore history. “It looks at the past from a non-academic and layperson’s perspective,” he said. He added that he hopes the prize will encourage people to study Singapore’s past, as it is vital for a nation to have a shared imagination of its own past. “It is the glue that holds societies together.”
Thousands of consumers turned out for this year’s book-buying extravaganza that took place on Sunday at The National Museum of Singapore. The event also featured performances by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Choir and a dance troupe from the National University of Singapore. The organisers of the event said this was the largest turnout in the history of the book fair, with more than 4,000 participants from all over the country.
The second day of the book fair saw a host of events and activities, including talks by authors and illustrators on various topics such as science, food and culture. Organisers said the main objective of the event is to promote literary and arts education in Singapore, as well as to encourage public engagement and participation.
Britain’s Prince William walked the green carpet at the third Earthshot awards ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday to present five winners of the global competition that aims to find solutions to environmental problems. He praised the winners, who were selected from more than 150 entries, saying that their work showed that “hope does remain” amid the effects of climate change. Actors Cate Blanchett, Donnie Yen and Lana Condor, and Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin joined the celebrity presenters at the glitzy ceremony.
The awards, which were launched in 2022, have a total of 12 categories. Those that make the shortlist include books on the environment, heritage, art, history and science. The final winner will be announced at a ceremony in October. The finalists will receive a plaque and S$1,000 cash each, while readers’ choice winners will win book-purchase vouchers worth US$35 each. The consumer-voted category is a new addition to this year’s awards, and the shortlisted authors included Ali bin Salim, Daryl Qilin Yam, Pan Zheng Lei (Pan Cheng Lui) and rma cureess (Rama Suresh). The prize was funded by private donors.