The heir to the British throne, Prince William, is visiting Singapore to promote the Earthshot prize that he and his Royal Foundation charity launched in 2020. During his trip, he will meet Singaporeans to see how they are working to solve environmental challenges. He will also attend a United for Wildlife summit, featuring representatives from law enforcement agencies and companies that combat the trade in illegal wildlife products, estimated to be worth $20 billion annually.
In his speech, the king of England will call on people around the world to think about how they can help each other in ways that are simple and practical, rather than waiting for governments or large corporations to come up with solutions. He will also encourage people to get involved by volunteering or joining a community project, saying that a healthy civil society depends on people who are willing to put the common good ahead of their own personal interests in pivotal times.
The Singapore Prize is a biennial book award organised by the National University of Singapore to recognise published works by Singaporeans in any of its four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. The book awards offer 12 top prizes in each language, plus a Book of the Year title chosen from subsidiary award winners. Applicants must publish their work in one of the Singapore official languages, be legally deposited with the National Library Board and be available for sale in the country. Works published in other languages but translated into any of the official languages of Singapore are eligible, as are reprints.
This year, a number of writers have made history with the Singapore Prize shortlist, including novelist Kamaladevi Aravindan. Her book Sembawang (2020, available here in English) tells the story of her family’s lives across five decades, and rejects the idea that history is just a record of big-name movers and shakers.
Another novel to watch is Jeremy Tiang’s The New World, which follows a Singaporean family as they make their way to Hong Kong. A former journalist, Tiang has written a novel that explores “the tension between the desire to be authentic and the fear of losing our identities in a changing world,” according to his website.
Known as the Big Sweep in the early days, TOTO started out as a lottery game in 1969, and contributed $14.5 million to the cost of the first National Stadium. By the time the stadium was completed in 1973, the prize amount had jumped to an assured sum of $300,000. The game has evolved over the years and now boasts a total jackpot prize of $55 million.
The President’s Science and Technology Awards are the highest accolades given to scientists and engineers in Singapore by the President of the Republic of Singapore. Previously known as the National Science and Technology Awards, they were elevated to presidential status in 2009. The awards aim to recognise Singaporeans who have contributed significantly to upholding research excellence and strengthening Singapore’s growing community of scientific talent.