The biennial prize was founded in 1992 to give due recognition to Singapore literary talent and stimulate public interest in and support for creative writing. It is awarded to authors of outstanding published works in Chinese, English, Malay, or Tamil. Works include fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and comics/graphic novels, and may be written in any genre and form. The winner will receive S$3,000 and a specially-commissioned trophy. In addition to the top prize, there are also prizes for the best work in each of the four official languages.
In this year’s competition, a total of 49 titles were shortlisted from 192 submissions. This is lower than the previous record of 224 in 2020, which organizers say was partly due to the pandemic’s impact on publishing. This year’s shortlist is made up of a mix of established authors and rising ones, including writers in all four of the official languages and from diverse backgrounds. It’s a wide-ranging group of books, which also includes a biography, an essay collection, and a graphic novel.
Britain’s Prince William returned to his native Singapore on Tuesday for the first time in more than a decade to host the third-annual Earthshot Prize ceremony, the event’s first held in Asia. He said the solutions presented by all 15 finalists—including making electric car batteries more energy efficient, establishing a soil carbon marketplace, and working to deter illegal fishing—proved that “hope remains” as climate change continues to wreak havoc around the world.
He and other presenters—including actors Sterling K. Brown and Hannah Waddingham, actor Bebe Rexha, and the bands One Republic and Bastille—wore clothing with a green theme to promote sustainability. William wore a 10-year-old dark green blazer from the fashion house Alexander McQueen.
Local businesses that excel in their branding were feted at the 21st Singapore Prestige Brand Award ceremony on Wednesday night. The awards are jointly organised by the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (Asme) and Lianhe Zaobao, and aim to recognise and reward those that have distinguished themselves in their respective industry sectors.
The winner of the NUS Singapore History Prize was chosen by a Jury Panel consisting of historian Prof Mahbubani; Prof John Miksic, Director, Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Melbourne; Dr Lam San Ling, President of NUS; and Prof Tan Tai Yong of the NUS Department of History. Other nominees were academics, museum curators, arts and literary figures, and teachers and curriculum developers. A Readers’ Favorite exercise was also conducted, in which people voted for their favorite shortlisted book. The winner will be announced in 2024. For more information, visit the NUS website.