The world is captivated by Singapore’s unique success story. Whether it is the young and the old, the rich and the poor, they are curious about this little red dot that has achieved so much in such a short time.

But many of them are still unsure about what this unique journey was like for Singaporeans of previous generations. This is why a new prize has been launched by the National University of Singapore to encourage more writings about Singapore’s history. The NUS Singapore History Prize is open to non-fiction and fiction works, penned in English or translated into it, as long as they focus on Singapore’s past.

This year’s competition saw over a hundred submissions from across the globe. The prize was awarded at a ceremony last month at the Ritz Carlton Millenia. It was presented by the Department of History at NUS. The winner of the prize received a cash award of $50,000 Singapore. The book that was deemed the best also became publicly known and featured on the program’s website.

The heir to the British throne Prince William has arrived in Singapore ahead of his visit to the region this month to host the third annual Earthshot Prize awards. The global initiative that he and his Royal Foundation charity launched in 2020 promotes innovation projects aimed at solving the climate crisis. The prince will hold a series of events during his four-day trip that will spotlight the project’s finalists.

In his first speech to the finalists, the prince highlighted the importance of finding solutions that are scalable. He called on the finalists to “reach the tipping point of change,” adding that his foundation is committed to supporting them in their efforts.

He also urged them to think of how their projects can be used in developing countries that lack the infrastructure and resources needed for sustainable development. He said that “we need a collective effort to tackle this global challenge,” and that the finalists’ work can inspire other innovators around the world to make an impact.

As part of the programme, a new WAFX category will be introduced to celebrate international proposals that embrace cutting-edge design to address major world issues. The winners of this category will be showcased at WAF’s third annual awards gala dinner in Singapore on November 7.

For more details about the prizes, including the shortlist for 2024, see here. The final decision will be made by a jury panel that includes Prof Mahbubani and Claire Chiang, senior vice president at Banyan Tree Holdings.

NUS historian Hidayah Amin is the author of the fiction book Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Glam (2019, available here). She tells Rice Media that she has an unfair advantage when it comes to competing for the NUS history prize, because she grew up in a heritage royal building in Kampong Glam, which many people now only know as a tourist attraction. This gave her the opportunity to research the area and share its history with the public.