Singapore’s prize is a biennial award to recognise published books with a Singapore element. It is presented by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and is a joint project with the National Library Board. The top prize carries a cash prize of $3,000 and a trophy, while the winner of the Readers’ Favourite category receives $1,000. Previous winners have included the 2021 NUS History Prize winner Leluhur: Singapore Kampong Gelam by archaeologist John Miksic, whose work laid the foundation for a fundamental reinterpretation of the nation’s historical narrative.
This year’s event saw a return to in-person awards ceremonies after two years of restrictions and social distancing, with Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong as guest of honour. More than half of the 12 winners are first-time recipients, with a mix of seasoned and emerging writers. Among them, Suratman Markasan and Wang Gungwu made history as the oldest winners of SLP, with each winning the creative nonfiction award. Tamil writer rma cureess also clinched two awards, taking home the top gong in both the Tamil fiction and Readers’ Favourite Tamil categories.
The Singapore Prize, previously known as the Big Sweep, was launched by Singapore Pools in 1969 to raise funds for the construction of our first National Stadium. It was subsequently known as the National Stadium Booster, and later the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay Booster, before being renamed in 1998. During its inaugural run, the game contributed $14.5 million to the construction of the national stadium. Currently, the game is free to play and there is a one-in-eleven chance of winning a prize.
For the first time, the creative proposals of this year’s Singapore Prize attracted a large number of entries from across the globe. They showcased a range of innovative concepts and visions of a progressive future. The works by Japanese architect Yuriko Nagata, Hong Kong fashion artist Jamela Law, and Belgian art collective Bruit Interconfessionel all used data to inspire new forms of interaction between people. Their designs featured generative floating metropolises and fashion co-designing that uses dating app data, among others.
Neo4j is a graph data platform that supports the creation of high-performance and scalable applications on both cloud and on-premises systems. It was named Most Innovative Graph Data Platform 2022 by APAC Insider magazine, a leading business publication in the region.
The 2022 Singapore Prize finalists have been announced. The prize will honour the late Christopher Bathurst KC, Viscount Bledisloe, a leading member of Fountain Court Chambers who developed a significant practice in Southeast Asia and Singapore. He was a formidable advocate and adviser and was widely respected as a mentor.
The prize will be awarded to a team from a Singapore-based company that has contributed significantly to the economic growth of the country. The prize will be presented at an awards ceremony in November. The judging panel will be composed of senior members of the Economic Development Board, as well as representatives from the private sector and academia.