The Singapore Prize is a literary award that recognises and rewards the achievements of a local author. It is organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and its partners, the National Arts Council and the National Library Board.
There are two categories: the Book Prize and the Readers’ Favourite Awards. Both are open to writers who have published at least one book in Singapore over the past three years. Those who win the Books Prize receive S$50,000, while those who win the Readers’ Favourite Awards earn S$1,000 each and stand a chance to win book vouchers.
Kampung Admiralty by WOHA won the WAF Architectural Award in 2018. This residential development was built to provide housing for elderly people and also include recreational facilities such as gardens and terraces. It was designed to promote inter-generational bonding and active aging, the designers said. The project was also inspired by the hawker centers that are common in Singapore, which have a history of providing food and shelter for people from all walks of life.
Getting There By Air
As part of its program to encourage Singaporeans to travel, the government offers several incentive schemes for those who wish to take the plunge. For example, the Major Games Award Programme provides cash payouts to athletes who win medals at Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth and South East Asian games.
Athletes often have to spend an enormous amount of money to train at the highest level, and for some a medal may be their first big step toward success. For this reason, the Singapore National Olympic Council devised a scheme in the 1990s that rewards those who achieve the highest level of athletic achievement at international competitions.
In addition, the Singapore Prize is also awarded to students who have made the most significant contribution to their field of study in undergraduate studies. These students are selected on the basis of their performance during their time at St John’s College and on their examination results.
Archaeologist Prof John Miksic won the inaugural Singapore History Prize in 2018 for his book on the Silk Road of 1300-1800. The book was a labour of love that took him many years to write, he says. It also prompted him to work with NUS Press on a website that will showcase the artefacts that have been found in the region.
He plans to continue writing about the ancient history of Singapore and will be translating his work into Mandarin next year. In the future, he hopes to expand the prize to works written in other forms of media.
The prize is a great way to help local authors get their work seen. This is particularly the case for those who are still in their early stages of writing.
If you are a writer and would like to be considered for this award, please contact the NBDCS for more information. The deadline for submissions is May 1.
It’s not easy to get people to change their behaviour in a country where they are used to buying imported goods at low prices. This is why the government set a goal in 2007 to make Singapore produce 50% of its nutritional needs from locally-sourced food by 2020.