The Singapore Prize, established by philanthropists, is one of the region’s premier and most coveted awards. Designed to support innovation and ideas on an even broader scale, winners were honored this year across categories from environmental protection and social innovation to entrepreneurship.
Winners of the Singapore Prize received GBP 1 Million (SGD 1.7 Million) as investment capital to accelerate their plans, as well as support from APAC Insider Singapore Business Award ecosystem to build businesses and boost global economic growth.
APAC Insider Singapore Business Award judges were impressed with the winning projects, which ranged from an algae-based treatment for water to technology that converts human waste to electricity. According to them, each winner showed how they intend to make the world a better place and was committed to fulfilling on their promises.
At a ceremony hosted by the National Museum of Singapore, winners had an opportunity to showcase their work to a wider audience. All will receive a coveted trophy, cash prize and media exposure through APAC Insider Singapore over one year.
The NUS Singapore History Prize is given out every three years for publications which make a significant impact in studying Singapore history. Sponsored by the Department of History at NUS and judged by a panel consisting of historians, arts and literary figures, teachers and curriculum developers – this year including distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani from NUS Asia Research Institute; archaeologist John Miksic from Department of History at NUS; novelist Meira Chand; economist Lam San Ling; and historian Peter Coclanis from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill!
This year marks an unprecedented expansion of the Singapore Prize to include 12 top awards across Chinese, English and Malay literature – an impressive jump compared with previous years which only awarded one prize per language. Fiction and non-fiction works competed alongside poetry for each award category for the first time ever this year – another first!
Suratman Markesan and Wang Gungwu, each aged 91, made history this year as the oldest winners. Both authors won top honors for their respective languages while Tamil writer rmaa cureess took home two awards: fiction writing and readers’ favorite Tamil. Other winners included a book on Singapore’s early military history and one on Kampong Glam’s Gedung Kuning Riot of 1972, where one judge described it as an “informative and entertaining account”. The judges added that this particular volume “provides a fascinating, comprehensive survey of its area, people and culture”. Kampong Glam: the Authors’ Journey is the definitive book on Kampong Glam ever published, and was created over five to three years by researching, interviewing residents, drawing upon archive materials, as well as including photographs, maps and illustrations to enhance understanding. Furthermore, this work helps preserve an important piece of Singapore history as well as preserve social and cultural heritage for future generations.” The winning entry will receive both a cash prize of $3,000 as well as an engraved trophy.