A Singapore housing complex for senior citizens has beaten flashier competition from Russia’s World Cup stadium and Qatar National Library to win the world’s top architectural prize. The prize, known as the WAF (World Architecture Festival), was awarded to Kampung Admiralty by a jury of experts for its integration of public facilities and community space with over 100 apartments for seniors. It also features a new type of “hawker center” to encourage intergenerational bonding.
Britain’s Prince William, whose foundation launched the 10-year award program in 2020, said at the ceremony in Singapore that the solutions shared by all 15 finalists showed that “hope does remain” as climate change continues to impact the world. He added that the awards show, which was televised live from state-owned Media Corp theatre, is meant to “amplify” these innovative solutions. The glitzy ceremony was co-hosted by actors Hannah Waddingham and Sterling K. Brown, with the bands One Republic and Bastille and singer Bebe Rexha performing for guests.
The winner of the best Asian film at this year’s Singapore International Film Festival is a drama by a Malaysian director whose debut feature won a flurry of prizes at international festivals this year. Makbul Mubarak’s “Autobiography” was praised for its “vivid character study, powerful allegory of national trauma and urgent dissection of the fascist mindset.” The film also won at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and was nominated for a slew of other accolades at Venice, Jogja-NETPAC, QCity, Marrakech and Stockholm.
In a move that aims to foster safer online interactions worldwide, the National University of Singapore (NUS) History Prize has been renamed to be more inclusive and reflects its focus on Singapore’s rich past. The prize will now be awarded to any book-length publication that contributes significantly to our understanding of Singapore’s history and is published between 1 June 2021 and 31 May 2024.
Those who work in the fields of history, anthropology, sociology, or art are eligible to apply for the prize. The next round of applications will open on 10 April and close on 22 April 2023.
During his visit to the city-state, William will try his hand at dragon boating and meet locals working to protect the planet from environmental threats such as illegal wildlife trading, which is estimated to be worth $20 billion annually. He will also call on the prime minister and president of Singapore, and visit The Istana palace, one of the country’s oldest heritage sites. In addition, he will attend the United for Wildlife summit that brings together law enforcement agencies, conservation groups and corporations to combat the trade in wildlife products. He will also meet children from Singapore’s low-income families and hear their stories of survival and success.