The NUS Singapore History Prize, set up in 2014 on a generous endowment by an anonymous donor, recognises works of fiction and non-fiction that spur interest in Singapore’s history. Beginning in 2024, the Prize has expanded to include non-print media that engages deeply with Singapore’s history under a new ‘Arts and Multimedia’ category. This development furthers the Prize’s objective of fostering Singaporeans and people worldwide to develop a strong sense of our shared history.
The prize is awarded annually to the best book that captures the spirit of Singapore and inspires compassion, empathy, voluntarism and activism in society. The spirit of Singapore, rooted in the values of social good and public service, includes equality, diversity, religious harmony, pragmatism and an emphasis on education, community, innovation, creativity and artistic endeavour.
This year’s Prize winner is Professor Emeritus Peter Ellinger for Down Memory Lane: My Memories of Singapore and the World (2023). 91-year-old Professor Ellinger is the oldest ever prize winner and is the first person to win the prize in both the English creative non-fiction and English translation categories. His memoir is a moving account of his childhood in Singapore and the world, his love of books, and his lifelong commitment to promoting the study of Singapore’s history.
NUS has appointed Conservation International (CI) as the steward of the Prize and its legacy. CI is an organisation that has long worked globally to spotlight and secure the benefits of nature for humanity. They will leverage their deep expertise in biodiversity programmes and sustainability financing to support the selection of Prize winners and connect them with their vast network of partners committed to scalable, innovative solutions for nature.
The winner will be notified by end-November 2019. Find out more about the NUS Singapore History Prize here.
NUS is a world-class university with distinctive strengths in the humanities, law, science, technology and medicine. Its students are distinguished by their academic excellence, high degree of critical thinking and the ability to apply knowledge. In addition, NUS is home to a large community of alumni who are renowned in their respective fields across the globe.
The NUS Scholarship Programme offers scholarships to outstanding students who are Singaporeans or permanent residents, regardless of race, ethnicity and social background. Scholarships are awarded for full-time undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The scholarships are valued at up to S$100,000 per student over a period of three years. Scholarships can be renewed for up to a total of four years. Applications for the 2020 NUS Scholarship Programme are now open.