The heir to the British throne, Prince William, is visiting Singapore, and his stop here has been described as “a celebration of the nation’s creativity and innovation.” In addition to meeting with local scientists, he will also be at the awards ceremony for the Earthshot Prize, which he and his Royal Foundation charity launched in 2020 to promote technologies that can reduce global warming.
The award was founded to support innovative ideas to tackle climate change by providing catalytic grants of up to S$1 million each for winning submissions. Its grant program is open to researchers from any country, but applicants must be able to demonstrate the impact of their projects on people and nature. Among the three inaugural winners of the S$1 million grants was Singaporean scientist Jeremy Loh, who used drones to measure sea-surface temperatures for the first time.
At the launch event at the National Museum of Singapore, the Prince will hear how science is used for the good of society, and he will see how the winners of this year’s S$1 million grants are tackling the challenge. He will be joined by representatives of government, business and nonprofits working on the prize’s four focus areas: water and food security; sustainable cities and transport; human-computer interactions; and enhancing biodiversity.
SINGAPORE — Khir Johari’s The Food Of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through The Archipelago took 14 years to come out, and its 3.2kg tome won the triennial National University of Singapore (NUS) Singapore History Prize on Thursday. Besides the top cash prize of $50,000, it also won an additional S$50,000 for its richly illustrated work. The 2024 competition saw a number of changes, including the introduction of a translation category that allowed works originally written in another language to be eligible. Previously, they had to be authored by a Singapore citizen or permanent resident.
Moreover, the best poetry title went to Shubigi Rao for her book Gaze Back, a “clarion call for gender and linguistic reclamation that is both searing in its rage and universal in its appetite.” The NUS-Singapore History Prize has been running since 2021.
The other awards were presented at a ceremony in the city’s Carlton Hotel, which was decorated in a green theme to mark the visit of the heir to the British throne. The prize ceremony featured a performance by violinists Dmytro Udovychenko, Anna Agafia Egholm and Angela Sin Ying Chan.
Aside from his public appearances, the Prince will also be seeing how Singaporeans are battling the illegal wildlife trade, which is estimated to cost the country USD$20 billion a year. He will also try his hand at dragon boating, a popular pastime in Singapore, and meet Singaporeans who are working with law enforcement agencies to prevent the smuggling of rare and endangered species. He will also attend the United for Wildlife summit, which brings together leaders from law enforcement, conservation and business to discuss how to halt this massive industry. He will also visit the Changi Airport Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, which was lit in green to welcome him.