The Singapore prize is an award given to writers who have published a book that focuses on the history of Singapore. It is the second highest literary prize in the country, after the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, and carries a cash prize of $3,000 and an engraved trophy. In addition, the winner is also given an opportunity to give a reading at one of the many bookstores in the city-state.
The award was established in 2014 and aims to stimulate engagement with Singapore’s history broadly understood (including pre 1819), as well as works that focus on the place of Singapore in the world. It is open to works in English and Malay, with a strong preference for non-fiction. The prize is a joint initiative of the National Library Board and the National Arts Council of Singapore.
In 2021, the prize went to Leluhur: Singapore Kampong Gelam by Ms Hidayah Amin, an elegantly crafted and carefully researched book on village life and the evolution of Singapore’s political and economic development. This is the third time that a book about Singapore’s history has won the prize, and the first time that a work of non-fiction has done so.
It is a biennial prize awarded to authors of Singapore literature. Previously, it was called the Singapore Literature Prize and is one of the top awards in Singapore for literature. It is a cash prize worth $3,000 and an engraved trophy that is presented to the winners in a ceremony in the Singapore National Museum.
The prize is open to all writers of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry who write in the English language and have a Singapore element in their narratives. The winner is chosen by a panel of judges and is announced at an annual awards ceremony. In the past, the Singapore Prize has been criticized for being biased towards male authors. In 2017, poet-editor Grace Chia delivered a speech at the award ceremony accusing it of sexism after winning the prize for her work Cordelia.
SINGAPORE (AP) — An Indian maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace and groups that work to make electric car batteries cleaner and restore Andean forests and deter illegal fishing were among the 2023 winners of the Earthshot Prize. Britain’s Prince William, whose Royal Foundation charity launched the 10-year prize program in 2020, said at a ceremony Tuesday that the solutions presented by all 15 finalists showed that hope does remain as the effects of climate change are felt around the world.
The prize is named after the Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew, who was instrumental in building the country into the green garden city it is today. The competition aims to recognise and celebrate the contributions of Singapore’s writers. The prize has a three year cycle, with the closing nomination date usually set at least a year in advance of the ceremony. Nominations are usually made by literary agents and publishers, though authors may also nominate their own work.