Singapore Prize 2019 Winners Announced
The Singapore Prize is a national award that recognises excellence in literary writing. It is given by the National Book Development Council of Singapore, in partnership with the National Library Board and the Ministry of Culture. It is open to writers of any nationality, age or genre who have published a work that has made a significant contribution to the development of Singapore’s literature. It is given in English and Chinese and aims to promote reading and writing in Singapore.
The Prize is a cash award of $50,000 Singapore, and the shortlisted works are also featured on the program website. The Prize is administered by a committee of five judges appointed by the President of NUS. In addition to the cash prize, shortlisted books will be publicly announced and displayed in bookstores. The prize is awarded every three years. The inaugural prize was awarded in 2018 to archaeologist Professor John Miksic for his book, Singapore And the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800.
It is a biennial literary prize in Singapore that recognises outstanding published works in the official languages of Singapore. The competition is open to works of fiction and non-fiction in the Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil languages. The winner in each language category receives a top prize of $10,000 Singapore, and shortlisted authors are featured on the program’s website. The prizes are awarded by a panel of judges consisting of scholars and experts in the fields of literary and cultural studies.
In the Readers’ Choice category, four winners were selected, including Jeremy Tiang’s novel, Magic Babe Ning, which explores the history of the Nanyang school of painting. The other two winners were Ali bin Salim’s novel, Sembawang, which examines the city’s changing identity, and Home Is Where We Are by Daryl Qilin Yam.
Each of the winners received a commissioned trophy and a 12-month gift code to StoryTel. They will also be eligible to compete for the Grand Prize at the Dreams Asia Breakthrough 2023 awards ceremony in November. The event will take place in Singapore and is backed by the Temasek Trust, Temasek, GenZero and Conservation International.
Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge will be attending this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony in Singapore on November 7. The award show will be part of an upcoming series of events called Earthshot Week, and it will bring together global leaders, businesses and investors to accelerate the solutions needed to repair the planet. The Prince and Princess will walk the green carpet at the ceremony, which will include performances by musicians and artists. It is the first time that the ceremony will be held in Southeast Asia, and it will be accompanied by a week of activities aimed at accelerating the five winners’ environmental solutions. The Prince and the Princess of Wales will also meet with local entrepreneurs to learn more about their projects.