A new prize has been launched to recognise local fiction and non-fiction work, the richest pot yet for a singapore prize. The Dr Alan HJ Chan Spirit of Singapore Book Prize, established by a $1 million donation from the Confucian scholar, celebrates books that champion mindsets and values important to shaping Singapore’s identity. These include equality, diversity, religious harmony, meritocracy and pragmatism. The prize will be awarded annually and comes with a cash award of $30,000 as well as an audiobook subscription from Storytel.
The prize winner will be announced at a ceremony in Oct. 2021. The prize is inspired by a statement from the famed American social scientist Benedict Anderson, who said that nations are largely held together through shared imagination. The prize is intended to encourage young people in Singapore to take up their responsibility for their community, and to inspire them to make a positive impact with their words and actions.
Last year, the prize drew more than 1,000 entries from around the world, and the top five winners received scholarships worth up to $72,000 for their studies at Harvard. One of the winners, Muhammad Dinie, a pre-tertiary student from the Institute of Technical Education College Central (ITE), led an appreciation project for town council cleaners in the Ang Mo Kio estate during the Covid-19 pandemic, giving them packed food, groceries and thank-you cards.
Khir Johari’s richly illustrated The Food of the Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through the Archipelago has won this year’s triennial NUS Singapore History Prize. The tome, which took 14 years to complete, beat five other shortlisted publications.
The 2024 competition will see a new category introduced, to honour publications which advance the understanding and appreciation of Singapore’s heritage through research or the creative expression of its past. The winning publication will receive a cash prize of $50,000.
At the launch event, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong praised the prize winners and encouraged the public to continue their good works. He also lauded the judges for their hard work in selecting the winners.
During his visit to Singapore, Prince William will meet with leaders from the government and civil society to discuss how we can continue to tackle climate change. He will also attend the United for Wildlife summit, where he will meet representatives from law enforcement agencies and conservation groups who work to fight illegal trade in wildlife products, estimated to be worth $20 billion per year.
The Prince will also be visiting the National Museum of Singapore and Changi Airport, where he will stand on an upper floor to enjoy a view of the 40-meter high Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall. He will also plant a tree in the airport’s indoor garden. The Royal couple are set to return to London on Monday. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to stay up to date with the latest news.