The 13th Benesse Prize was awarded to artists Pratchaya Phinthong, Walid Raad, Sawangwongse Yawnghwe and Haegue Yang at a ceremony held at the Singapore Art Museum on Tuesday (Nov 7). Each artist will receive S$100,000 in cash and S$50,000 worth of Benesse Prize vouchers. The five shortlisted Singapore Biennale artists were also presented with a trophy and a commissioned work.
Britain’s Prince William walked the green carpet at Jewel Changi Airport this week as he arrived in Singapore to host a series of events on the third annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony. He told the crowd of celebrities that the 15 finalists’ solutions ranging from solar-powered dryers to regrowing forests and making electric car batteries greener gave him hope that humanity can tackle the challenges of climate change.
In a move that will give the literary prize more visibility, the organizers have separated its poetry category from the rest of the shortlist. The new category will recognize works by debut poets and give them a chance to compete with the likes of former directors of the Singapore Writers Festival, Yeow Kai Chai and Pooja Nansi. The shortlist for the other genres is expected to be released in early 2024.
Last month, Sonny Liew’s graphic novel “The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye” won the Best Comics at the Eisner Awards, considered the Oscars of the comic world. It is the first time a Singaporean artist has won the award, which is regarded as one of the top prizes in the industry. The book has drawn international attention for its controversial depictions of the late Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Lim Chin Siong, who was a former opposition leader.
The first prize in the new category will go to a book that makes a lasting impact on our understanding of Singapore’s history. It will be awarded in 2024. The prize was mooted by NUS Asia Research Institute distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani in a 2014 column for The Straits Times, which asked philanthropists to contribute to a fund to award a prize to a book on Singapore’s history. The winning publication could cover any period, theme or field of study.
Established in 1968, the TOTO game is a popular Singapore Pools draw that has a one-in-eleven chance of winning a jackpot of up to $2.3 million. It has undergone several changes over the years, including the introduction of a snowballing feature in 1981, which allows the prize to grow if no winners are found. TOTO is available to play at all Singapore Pools outlets. There are a variety of game modes that allow players to win different prizes, from the lowest to the highest. In addition to the main jackpot prize, players can also win smaller prizes through games such as the Toto Plus and Mega Bonus games. The prize money for these games is guaranteed by Singapore Pools.