The heir to the British throne is in Singapore for the first time since 2012, on a mission to promote technology and solutions to combat climate change. He visited Changi Airport’s Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, which was lit green in honor of his visit. He also met with locals working to protect the planet, including conservationists and law enforcement officials at the United for Wildlife summit.
He also visited an animal shelter and took part in a traditional dragon boat race at the Singapore Zoo, where he was presented with a tree plantation certificate. The prince will return to the UK next week, following a two-week trip that includes stops in Thailand, Malaysia and Australia.
For its 30th anniversary, the Singapore prize is now focusing on resonance, with a special emphasis on how literature can spark emotions and memories. The theme was suggested by a Straits Times columnist and NUS Asia Research Institute distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani. “As Benedict Anderson once said, nations are ‘imagined communities’ and a shared imagination in history is the critical glue holding societies together,” he wrote.
The 2024 prize, worth $50,000, will go to a book that contributes to a deeper understanding of Singapore’s history. Books can be written in English or translated, and may address any time period, theme or field of Singaporean history, or include a substantial aspect of Singaporean history as an integral part of their story. A distinguished jury panel chaired by Mahbubani will select and announce a winner in October.
A history of everyday life has taken centre stage in the shortlist for this year’s NUS Singapore History Prize, with narratives from ordinary people making up six of the seven works selected by a jury. The list includes a memoir, a historical tome and an anthology of stories from ordinary Singaporeans, as well as a documentary on comfort women and a biography of an eminent figure.
In the nonfiction category, a 91-year-old NUS professor made history by becoming the oldest winner of the prize with Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger’s Memoirs (2023). Other winners included a self-published Cockman (2022) by Kenfoo, about a chicken from another dimension that becomes stranded in human form, and the Chinese fiction title Lion City (2022), by the prolific novelist Ng Yi-Sheng. Two titles by Epigram Books were finalists in the English and Chinese fiction categories, with Nanda’s debut Nimita’s Place sharing top honours with the author’s earlier account of two sisters navigating society’s expectations in India and Singapore, and speculative short story collection Dakota (available here). The prize is awarded by the National Library Board. The winners will receive a trophy and a 12-month Storytel audiobook gift subscription. Nominations are open till July 22.