The Singapore Literature Prize is a biennial literary prize. It is administered by the National Book Development Council of Singapore and recognises the best published works by Singaporean authors. Works can be in any of the four official languages, namely Chinese, Malay, English and Tamil. During the first year of the prize, twelve top prizes were awarded. Each winner received a commissioned trophy. This year, the top prize was worth 3,000 Singapore dollars.
A total of 43 writers submitted their works for the 2022 competition. Among them were a number of first time shortlisted writers. Some of them were: Bopha Oul, for “Further and Away” by Polen Ly; Makbul Mubarak, for “Autobiography” by Abbas; Laha Mebow, for “Gaga”; and Suratman Markasan, for “Dikit” by Sukanto.
In addition to the prize money, there are several other prizes available for winners. First, the winner will receive an award certificate and a gold medal. The top prize in the Singapore Writers Prize is a commissioned trophy. If the writer is a local, the prize will be sponsored by Keppel Corporation. Other prizes include a cash prize of SGD800, a Youth Critic Award, and a plaque.
Besides the cash prizes, the prize also offers a 12-month gift code to StoryTel. Its aim is to encourage exchange of ideas between cities. Moreover, it also seeks to highlight the contribution of Singaporean authors.
For the short film awards, the jury included Lucky Kuswandi, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and Khoo Gaik Cheng. Two of the shortlisted works were fiction, while two others were creative nonfiction. As for the Southeast Asian cinema awards, the award went to “In-Docs” (Indonesia) and “Vania on Lima Street” (Vietnam).
There is also a special mention for the short film, “Dikit,” by Sukanto. Earlier this year, the film won the Best Asian Film prize at the Singapore International Film Festival. The artistic director of the festival, Dennis Lim, said that the film is a vivid character study.
One of the top prizes is an expendable gift from FengHe Group. For the second year of the prize, the firm has pledged an expendable gift of SGD100,000. It will support two cash prizes for the award, and it will help promote emerging markets.
Another of the prizes is the Fission Group award. Originally, the award was given out to Joseph Schooling, who had won two golds at the Asian Games in July. However, after the athlete admitted to using drugs while overseas, a disciplinary committee was set up.
Other winners are the director and director of photography of the short film, Alvin Lee and Laha Mebow, respectively. Also, there is a production services package for the short film from Shooting Gallery Asia. And lastly, there is an audio final mix and DCP feature of the film from Mocha Chai Laboratories.
With all the money on offer, it’s easy to see why the prize is so sought after. Not only do the winners get cash and a trophy, but they also gain the recognition and respect of their peers.
