The Singapore prize 2023 has been awarded to a shortlist of five green innovators who are leading the charge for a cleaner, healthier world. These finalists were awarded a share of $1 million at a ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday. They are working on projects that range from creating a cleaner lithium-ion battery to tightening marine enforcement to support ocean conservation.
Athletes who dream of competing at the elite level are often forced to make enormous financial investments over a long period of time. This is particularly true for athletes who are aiming to medal at the Olympic Games, where the financial rewards can be significant. To help them with this, the Singapore National Olympic Council, in the 1990s, devised an incentive scheme that pays cash to athletes who win medals at major international competitions.
Despite the high stakes, only a small percentage of competitors can reach the podium at an Olympics or Asian Games. This is why the Singapore National Olympic Council decided to implement an incentives system for its athletes, a programme known as the Major Games Award Programme (MGAP). This scheme allows athletes to earn money for their medals by winning in qualifying events or finishing in the top three at an Olympics or Asian Games. In addition, the MGAP also provides financial support for training, equipment and travel expenses to overseas competitions.
Since 2014, NUS has been running the NUS Singapore History Prize to encourage and inspire engagement with the country’s rich heritage through history. In 2024, the Prize will expand to include a ‘Arts and Multimedia’ category in addition to its ‘Books’ category. This will allow a wider range of works to be eligible for the Prize.
NUS has also increased the prize money to USD $100,000, allowing it to recognise more outstanding works and to attract greater interest from both local and international writers. For the first time, NUS will also give special commendations without accompanying cash prizes, in recognition of the quality of submissions. The citation for the best English entry went to 91-year-old NUS professor emeritus Peter Ellinger for Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger’s Memoirs (2023). It is an expansive work that weaves together many aspects of Singapore history.
The citation described it as a “skilled, assured and comedic at times, yet profoundly moving collection of stories”, showing with “ruthless precision the damage women inflict on each other and on men in their families”. Another special commendation was given to the short story cycle collection The Dark Side of the Mirror by Prasanthi K. Arun, which judges said “illuminates with a clarity and confidence that is startling”.