The Singapore Prize is an annual book award that honors local fiction and non-fiction works written in Singapore. With this year’s prize having a purse of $30,000–its largest yet! Established through a $1 Million donation from Confucian scholar Alan Chan and awarded by Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), it focuses on books that champion mindsets and values important to the development of Singapore such as equality, diversity, religious harmony, meritocracy, pragmatism resilience with emphasis placed upon education innovation and community projects.
SUSS’s panel of judges narrowed the shortlist down to five authors in each category, with an additional six poet being awarded special recognition in Chinese poetry. Clara Chow was nominated in multiple categories, becoming the first person ever in program history to be nominated for both English fiction and nonfiction categories as well as poetry – becoming part of both sets.
At a glittery gala ceremony at Mediacorp Theatre, Five winners were announced. Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham and three-time Emmy winning actor Sterling K. Brown served as co-hosts and featured performances by bands Bastille, OneRepublic, U.S. singer Bebe Rexha as well as Donnie Yen and Cate Blanchett wearing vintage pieces while British actress Lana Condor as well as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took advantage of a “green carpet” made of recycled material materials!
Team Singapore medallists received cash prizes of $1 Million Singapore dollars each, with the top individual medalist receiving $1.5 Million and silver and bronze medalists splitting half each of these amounts respectively. It is mandatory for Team Singapore medallists to donate 20%-20% at each of these Games to their National Sports Association for future training and development purposes.
The Defence Technology Prize (DTP) was developed to recognize individuals and teams for their efforts in helping the SAF maintain its edge in defence capabilities, and to foster technological innovations and advancements within its ranks. Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister of Defence, presented two individuals and four teams with awards at today’s DTP award ceremony. Mr Ng highlighted how DTP award winners had demonstrated exceptional leadership within their fields and contributed significantly to Singapore’s defence capabilities. He went on to state that the winners are sure to continue inspiring others through their work and pushing forward more breakthroughs in their respective fields. Additionally, they serve a vital purpose in building up a powerful defence force, according to him. The medal, struck in silver, is designed by the National Arts Council and features a laurel wreath surrounding the Singapore Arms with “PINGAT BAKTI MASYARAKAT” (“Honourable Service for the Nation”) embossed on one side, while State Arms can be seen on its reverse side. Minted at Singapore Mint and distributed through Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
