The singapore prize is an award given by NUS to stimulate engagement with Singapore history broadly understood to include works prior to 1819 and to promote a deeper understanding of the place of Singapore in world history. It is open to a wide range of works, including novels and creative nonfiction. The prize is administered by the Department of History at NUS, and is a competition with no entry fees. Its judging panel is appointed by the university’s president.
The winner receives $3,000, a trophy, and a gift code for the online audiobook platform Storytel. The four shortlisted writers will also receive book-purchase vouchers of $50. The winning entry will be chosen by a jury of five judges, who will review the nominations and select the work they think is most deserving. The finalists will be announced in October and the winner awarded in November.
This is the third year the prize has been given, and it is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious in Asia. The winners are chosen by a committee of prominent figures from the media, academia, and government. Previous winners include renowned Chinese historian Li Xian, journalist and author Wang Dan, and award-winning Singaporean poet and novelist Lee Tze-yeen.
In addition to the main prize, there is also a reader’s choice category that allows readers to vote for their favorite books. In this round, more than 4,000 people voted in the consumer choice awards, which is twice as many as last year’s. Four books were nominated in the reader’s choice award: Ali bin Salim, Daryl Qilin Yam, Pan Zheng Lei (Pan Cheng Lui), and rma cureess.
The Harvard Prize Book (Singapore) award is intended to inspire students in Singapore with the idea that Harvard is an attainable institution of higher learning and to connect them to the Harvard community in Singapore. It is awarded to a person who has gone above and beyond their call of duty, often at pivotal moments, to perform acts of kindness or care. The prize is also meant to recognize the role that altruism plays in building a healthy civil society. It has been bestowed on 48 Nobel laureates and 32 heads of state.