The SG Breakthrough Prize equips promising early-stage fashion entrepreneurs with best-in-class support, primeing them for the world stage through industry insights, monetary support and access to a network of resources. The award focuses on entrepreneurs who embrace accessibility, eco-sustainability and circular fashion and are committed to solving real-world challenges faced by consumers in Singapore.
The award is named after the city state’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who led Singapore to unprecedented economic success in a short time by developing a distinctive and liveable garden city. He was also instrumental in shaping urban policies and programmes that have contributed to Singapore’s environmental sustainability, including the adoption of strategic land use, transport and environment strategies.
Winners and finalists will be offered a series of local activations in the lead-up to the award ceremony, where they will meet global leaders, businesses and investors. As part of a new initiative, The Earthshot Prize will also host a special event called Earthshot Week, which will bring together the winners and finalists to accelerate their solutions and bring about tangible action to repair the planet.
Applicants were asked to submit their business plan and a prototype that demonstrates the feasibility of their solution, as well as their ability to deliver the product or service in the long run. The winning team will receive $500,000 in seed funding, a mentorship with an industry veteran and access to a network of potential partners and funders. The first place winner will also receive a trip to Silicon Valley to attend the Forbes 30-Under-30 Summit, as well as the opportunity to showcase their innovative idea at the prestigious Techonomy conference in 2022.
SINGAPORE – Stories about average Singaporeans take centre stage on the shortlist for this year’s National University of Singapore (NUS) History Prize, which features historical tomes with a personal slant. This year’s shortlist includes seven books, from Seven Hundred Years: A History Of Singapore (2019, available here) by Kwa Chong Guan, Tan Tai Yong, Peter Borschberg and Derek Heng to Kamaladevi Aravindan’s novel Sembawang (2020, available here).
The prize was mooted by NUS historian Professor Kishore Mahbubani in a 2014 column for The Straits Times, and will be awarded annually to a publication that makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the history of Singapore. The book can be on any subject and span any period in the island’s history, but must incorporate a substantial aspect of Singapore’s heritage in its narrative. The prize was established in 2014 with an endowment gift from an anonymous donor, and is administered by NUS’ Department of History. The judges are historian and author Meira Chand; economist Lam San Ling; archaeologist John Miksic; and writer and NUS Asia Research Institute distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani.