Singapore Prize Winners Announced at Awards Ceremony
The Singapore Prize is a biennial award for books on the country’s history that have made a significant contribution to our understanding of the nation. It recognises 12 top titles published between 1 June 2021 and 31 May 2024 in Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. In addition to a cash prize, winners will receive mentorship and career development opportunities.
A housing complex that integrates public facilities, community space and over 100 apartments for senior citizens beat flashier competition to win this year’s World Building of the Year award at a ceremony in Amsterdam on Friday. Kampung Admiralty was voted best project over buildings including Russia’s 2018 World Cup stadium and Qatar National Library, but the judges said its “innovative approach to the integration of social space and a variety of different types of living spaces” was what won it the title.
Britain’s Prince William named this year’s winners of the Earthshot Prize, an international contest to find solutions for climate change. He chose Singapore to host the ceremony because of the country’s role as a hub for innovation in Southeast Asia, Kensington Palace said. The 15 finalists—including an Indian maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace, and groups that work to restore Andean forests and deter illegal fishing—were honoured at a star-studded awards ceremony.
The Singapore Film Festival’s Best Director award went to Lav Diaz for his drama Tigerland, which stars Cate Blanchett and Lana Condor as two women struggling to find themselves in modern-day Indonesia. Its citation noted that the filmmaker showed “unprecedented sensitivity and a keen sense of the human condition.” In the Best Actor category, actor Robert Irwin won for his portrayal of an elephant trainer who is battling to save his animals from captivity.
A pair of Epigram Books titles won the English fiction prize: Akshita Nanda’s debut novel Nimita’s Place, about two Indian women navigating society’s expectations; and Chia Joo Ming’s SG50-centric novel Kian Kok. Ng Yi-Sheng won for his short story collection Lion City.
The Harvard Prize Book awards honour pre-tertiary students who have exhibited great care for others in the community. This year’s winners included Muhammad Dinie from ITE College Central, who led a team that distributed food and thank-you cards to Town Council cleaners during the Covid-19 pandemic. They also gathered feedback on ways to improve the cleanliness of their estate. The winner was awarded a $3,000 prize, a trophy and a 12-month subscription to Storytel. The other five winners received a plaque each and a six-month subscription to Storytel. Subscribe to our telegram channel for the latest updates. For breaking news on more stories from Singapore, check out ST Breaking News. It’s free to join!