The Singapore Prize is a biennial award that recognizes outstanding published works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry in the country’s four languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. Unlike other awards with multiple categories, the Singapore Prize has one top prize in each language and three sub-categories that are split into different genres.
A jury of five judges appointed by the president of NUS will evaluate the nominations. They will determine the criteria and mechanisms for selecting winners every three years.
Several companies and organizations have partnered with the Singapore prize to assist in its goal of scaling innovative environmental solutions. Temasek Trust, investment platform GenZero and conservation group United for Wildlife are among the corporate sponsors who have committed to support the prize.
Former Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, who chairs the prize’s jury panel, says that he hopes the prize will help readers develop a sense of their nation’s history. He has described the current global climate as a “crisis of identity,” and he believes that a strong national heritage can help people deal with this challenge.
NUS historians, scholars and professors weighed in on the nominations for this year’s prize, which were submitted by writers from all over the world. The shortlist of 49 books was announced on Aug. 25 at the Victoria Theatre, with a winner to be named on Nov. 2023 at an event attended by celebrities and dignitaries.
The prize’s judging process has been revised this year. In addition to the five-person jury, the prize will be open to public nominations. The prize organizers will also create an advisory board that will provide advice and guidance to the jury.
This year’s top prize is a $100,000 cash prize and a trophy designed by Singaporean architect and designer Ning Cai. The two runners-up will receive $25,000 and a trophy each.
Ning’s work focuses on highlighting the human aspect of climate change, and the use of art and design to engage and empower citizens. He has worked with the Singapore Film Festival and Singapore’s National Museum to produce documentary films that promote social justice and cultural identity in the context of the crisis of climate change.
In announcing this year’s shortlist, the jury noted that this was the first time a book was selected from a genre in all of Singapore’s four official languages. The jury also cited the work of Meira Chand, who has been shortlisted in both the English fiction and English creative nonfiction categories as well as the Chinese poetry category. The panel also commended the work of professor John Miksic, who won the 2021 Singapore History Prize for his book Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800, which presents detailed archaeological evidence to show how the city-state’s history began 700 years ago.
This is the third time that the NUS Earthshot prize has been awarded. Britain’s Prince William addressed the audience at a ceremony earlier this week, saying that all of the winners demonstrated that hope still remains as the world struggles with climate change. He joined Cate Blanchett, actors Donnie Yen and Lana Condor and Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin in walking the green carpet.
