There are many reasons why the Singapore Prize is considered one of the most prestigious home-grown literary awards in Asia. It honours published works in Singapore’s four official languages – English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil – and recognises authors for their creativity and contribution to society. The award is also intended to spur public interest in literature and reading. The latest version of the prize includes three new categories: comics and graphic novels, translation, and a debut writer’s category.
The organisers of the award believe that the new categories will “recognise and promote increasingly diverse publishing practices by Singapore writers”. The prizes are accompanied by a grant, which the winning author can use to further develop their work or pursue other projects.
This year’s winner, Hidayah Amin’s Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Gelam, is an account of the city’s development through a study of the social, economic, and cultural history of the area. Other past winners of the prize include Professor John Miksic’s Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800 – which synthesises more than 25 years of archaeological research – and the NUS Singapore History Prize 2021, which was won by Prof Lam San Ling for his book The Rise of Modern Singapore.
A healthy civil society depends on people who are committed to their communities, and who, at key moments, put the common good before their own. This is the spirit embodied by the Harvard Prize for Public Service, which was created in 2022 to recognise and celebrate individuals and organisations that go above and beyond their roles to make a positive difference in their communities.
During his trip, the Prince will also take part in a dragon boat race and meet Singaporeans to see how local organisations are working to protect and restore our planet. He will also attend the United for Wildlife global summit, where he will meet representatives of law enforcement agencies and conservation groups from around the world who are fighting the illegal trade in wildlife products, worth an estimated US$20 billion annually.
William will also call on Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and visit The Istana palace, one of the nation’s oldest heritage sites. He will also speak at the ceremony for Earthshot, a global initiative inspired by President John F Kennedy’s 1962 “moonshot” speech that set America on a trajectory to reach the moon by the end of the decade.
William is the first member of the royal family to be a trustee of the project. He will wear a 10-year-old dark green suit by Alexander McQueen at the event, which will feature performances by the bands One Republic and Bastille. He will walk the “green carpet” alongside other presenters, including British actor Sterling K Brown and actresses Hannah Waddingham and Mbatha — who wore a dark green dress by eco-conscious label Stella McCartney. The event will be broadcast worldwide. The winner will receive a GBP 1 million (approximately USD 1.25 million or SGD 1.7 million) prize money.