Several publications and projects have been awarded the Singapore prize. The annual program honors works of literature in the island nation’s four languages: Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil. In its 2022 edition, the prize celebrates the theme of resonance and recognizes writers who are able to connect with readers.
This year’s winner of the Singapore History Prize is a book that seeks to broaden definitions of what constitutes “history.” It was written by NUS faculty member Prof Wang Miksic, who won the award for his research on where the city of Singapore started.
The author’s work analyzed texts such as a Chinese diary and a 19th-century British journal to find evidence of the city’s existence before 1819, when it was officially established as a British colony. The result of his work is a fundamental reinterpretation of the nation’s early history.
Those who have made significant contributions to the development of Singapore’s science and technology (S&T) ecosystem can now nominate themselves for the Prime Minister’s Science and Technology Medallion. The PM STM aims to recognize individuals who have played a strategic role in advancing S&T and Singapore’s international stature in the world. The nomination is separate from the Singapore Scientist of the Year and the Prime Minister’s Science and Technology Pioneer Award.
The winners of this year’s Singapore prize were announced on Tuesday. The five winning projects were selected from a pool of 15 finalists and are focused on solving key environmental problems: creating a waste-free world, fixing the climate, reviving oceans, and protecting and restoring nature. Britain’s Prince William, who started the award in 2020, said at a ceremony in Singapore that the winning projects show that hope does exist as we struggle with the planet’s “desperate condition.”
Each of the five winners will receive a grant of PS1.7 million ($1.25 million) to help them scale their projects. They include an Indian maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace, and groups that work to make electric car batteries cleaner, restore Andean forests, and deter illegal fishing.
In addition to the cash prizes, the winners also get a chance to take part in a series of special events as part of an inaugural Earthshot Week, which will begin on Monday. This will see global leaders and businesses join the winners at local activations to explore ways to accelerate the solutions they’ve developed for our ailing planet.
A total of 43 works in 12 categories were shortlisted for the Singapore prize this year, with Clara Chow becoming the first writer to be named a finalist in three categories and two languages for the prize’s 30th anniversary edition. Organizers say the 2022 selection is the largest in the prize’s history, and it includes works by authors such as Yeow Kai Chai and Pooja Nansi. Consumers have also voted for their favorite books, with 4,000 voters casting ballots in the Reader’s Choice category this year, roughly twice as many as in the previous round of voting.
