The singapore prize is an award that was introduced in 2014 to support programmes that celebrate Singapore’s history. It is given out every three years and carries a cash prize of S$50,000. It is open to both local and foreign authors who have published book-length works in English with a strong historical theme.
Professor Miksic’s work earned the gong because it was “a fundamental reinterpretation of our understanding of Singapore’s history” and its place in the Asian context. He explained that there were hints of Singapore’s existence in literary records, such as Chinese trader Wang Dayuan writing about Southeast Asia in the 13th century, and references to a city called Temasek or Longyamen (Dragon Teeth’s Gate) in the 14th century. But he said that these had never been properly understood.
Besides the winner, there were six other books shortlisted in 2024 for the prize. They ranged from a study of Singapore’s history prior to and during its independence movement to an exploration of the heritage royal buildings in Kampong Gelam. A personal slant was also evident in the fiction shortlisted, including Sembawang by Tan Tiang, who traces his mother’s story through the lives of the residents of his hometown in the 1960s.
There may be plans to expand the scope of the prize, senior NUS advisor Kishore Mahbubani said. He pointed out that history can sometimes be told better through non-traditional formats, such as movies and comic books. He added that the prize’s goal was to ensure that citizens of Singapore had a deeper understanding of their country’s past.
In addition to the main prizes, this year’s awards featured new categories for best English debut and best English graphic novel. The first time that a work in this format has been nominated for the prize, it was Shubigi Rao’s Pulp III: An Intimate Inventory Of The Banished Book (2022).
Meanwhile, Prince William will be in Singapore next week to spotlight the winners of the Earthshot Prize (TEP), an initiative that he founded in 2020 to protect and restore our planet. He will be hosting events to showcase the TEP finalists’ innovative and impactful environmental solutions. TEP is supported by the Singapore government and private businesses, with a commitment to catalyse the finalists’ work and scale it across the globe.