The Singapore Prize is a biennial literary award in Singapore that recognises outstanding published works of Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil literature. In its inaugural year, it awarded 12 top prizes of up to S$10,000 each in fiction and non-fiction to writers from the four official languages. The following year, the award expanded to include a translation category. Since then, the competition has seen a wide range of authors win accolades in the various categories.
The prize is administered by the Department of History at NUS, and is awarded to works that have made a lasting impact on Singaporeans’ understanding of the nation’s history. It was first established in 2014, with the aim of spurring interest and engagement in the country’s past. It is administered by a Prize Panel comprising historians, academics, and experts from different fields.
NUS Professor Rajan Menon said the prize will encourage “outstanding research into the diverse and rich histories of Singapore, and will help to foster greater understanding of the city-state’s role in Asia.” The prize is a part of the NUS-Harvard Singapore History Initiative, which aims to enhance and deepen knowledge of Singapore’s heritage and place in the world.
Prof Mahbubani’s idea for the prize came from an opinion column he wrote in April 2014. He called on Singapore’s philanthropists to donate a cash prize to reward outstanding book writing on Singapore’s history. A few months later, a new Singapore citizen contacted him to say that he had already donated S$500,000 and asked that the sum be used as an endowment fund for the prize.
In addition to the top prizes in each of the categories, there is a Readers’ Favourite award, voted on by readers via a online poll. This year, the prize is also introducing an Achievement award, which recognises a writer who has been shortlisted in two or more categories in any of the three language groups. Clara Chow is the first writer in the programme’s history to have been shortlisted for the English fiction, English creative nonfiction and Chinese poetry awards.
During his visit, the Prince will meet Singaporeans who are working to protect and restore our planet. He will be welcomed to the city at Changi Airport, where the world’s largest indoor waterfall, HSBC Rain Vortex, will be lit green to mark his arrival. He will then attend a United for Wildlife global summit, where he will see how agencies and businesses are working together to deter illegal wildlife trafficking. The heir to the British throne will also be taking part in a dragon boat race and other sports, and meeting members of the public. He will return to the UK on Tuesday.