The NUS Singapore Prize is an annual book award presented by the NUS Department of History to work which has made an outstanding contribution to our understanding of Singapore’s past. This prize recognizes how nations are imagined communities; shared imagination – particularly around history – is critical in keeping nations united.

This year’s Earthshot shortlist includes books with clear Singapore connections. On Tuesday – just one day after Prince William arrived for his four-day visit – two winners were revealed during the third Earthshot awards ceremony; these five innovations ranged from solar dryers and eliminating food waste to cleaner battery technology for electric car batteries.

Meihan Boey’s The Mystical Mr Kay won 2025’s Epigram Books Fiction Prize. Boey’s supernatural series mixes Victorian tropes with Asian monsters to create an alternate reality spanning colonial Malaya, London and Scotland.

At the center of competition was Jeremy Tiang’s English translation of Zhang Yueran’s Cocoon, an engaging tale about two childhood friends uncovering dark family secrets during China’s Cultural Revolution. Self-published Cockman (2022) by Kenfoo is another contender; as is Hidayah Amin’s new book about Singapore’s Kampong Gelam which received special commendation.

The NUS Singapore History Prize was established in 2014 to commemorate the SG50 program and is an open global competition with a cash prize of S$50,000 awarded to its winner. A distinguished jury panel led by Mahbubani of NUS Asia Research Institute and Centre for Southeast Asian Studies reviewed twenty-six books submitted from publishers for review; its members included Foo Hai Fellow in Buddhist Studies Jack Meng-Tat Chia from NUS Department of History; Senior Curator Seng Yu Jin from National Gallery Singapore and playwright Jean Tay.

The prize ceremony coincided with the launch of NUS’s Yonge Street campus and featured a performance by Singapore Dance Theatre. NUS President Tharman Shanmugaratnam presented certificates to each winner while acknowledging reading and writing are essential components in building strong Singapore. He encouraged efforts to foster an excellence-centered education environment focused on creativity and innovation. Donnie Yen and Lana Condor, two acclaimed local celebrities attended this event as well.