Architects and engineers who design projects that can help combat climate change may want to check out a new award in singapore. The prize, launched in 2023, was presented to finalists this week at a ceremony hosted by Prince William. Celebrities including Cate Blanchett, Donnie Yen and Nomzano Mbatha also walked the green carpet to support the winners of the third Earthshot Prize. The prize winners presented solutions ranging from solar-powered dryers to ocean revival and making electric car batteries cleaner.
In a move to boost its standing as one of the most prestigious home-grown literary prizes, Singapore’s SLP has added three new categories for translation, comic books and debut writers. The organisers said the addition of these categories in 2024 helps “recognise and promote increasingly diverse published works by Singaporeans and permanent residents”.
The upcoming competition will see an expanded shortlist with nine entries. The entrants, including an author of a novel set in Singapore’s 1950s, were chosen from 192 submissions. This is 32 fewer than the number of titles submitted in 2020. The organisers said the lower submissions reflect the pandemic impact on publishing.
Among the titles that made the cut was Professor John Miksic’s book Singapore And The Silk Road Of The Sea, 1300-1800. The book refutes the common misperception that the city-state’s history started with Sir Stamford Raffles. Miksic, who is a National University of Singapore (NUS) archaeologist, has conducted archaeological research in Singapore since 1984. He was awarded the prize on Thursday (Jan 11) along with four other finalists, including historian Wang Gungwu and a journalist from NUS’ Department of East Asian Studies.
This year’s SLP shortlist includes fiction with a historical slant, such as the novel Sembawang by Jeremy Tiang, which follows an extended family through leftist political movements and detentions in both Singapore and Malaysia. The shortlist also includes the non-fiction book Leluhur: The Story Of Kampong Gelam, by historian Hidayah Amin. The book shines a light on the pre-colonial life of this formerly working-class kampong.
Another notable inclusion is the return of the Readers’ Favourite award, which will give public votes online for their favourite shortlisted work across all the categories. This year, the public can vote in one of each category – a total of four.
Another new category in 2024 is the best scholarly work on Singapore, which will recognise academics and researchers who have contributed to understanding and promoting the nation’s heritage. The winner will receive a cash prize of S$30,000.