The inaugural award ceremony for the Singapore Prize, an annual literary competition organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore, took place on Tuesday, bringing together 17 writers, translators and comic artists from across the country. This year’s event featured new categories, including best English debut and the first-ever Singapore graphic novel. Best English debut was won by writer Shubigi Rao for Pulp III: An Intimate Inventory Of The Banished Book (2022). The triennial Singapore History Prize was awarded to acclaimed food historian Khir Johari, who was given the honour for his richly illustrated work The Food of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through The Archipelago. The tome – which took 14 years to complete and weighs a whopping 3.2kg – is an opus that reflects the multi-layered nature of Singapore’s cultural heritage. It also focuses on the complex interplay between Singapore’s multi-ethnic society and its regional neighbours.
The winner of the Singapore Prize will receive $100,000, and a chance to take part in the Earthshot Prize, an ambitious global initiative founded by Prince William to protect and restore our planet. The five winners of the prize will each receive catalytic funding to scale their environmental solutions.
Kishore Mahbubani, the former Singapore diplomat who chairs the prize’s five-member jury panel, said at a media conference that he believes Singapore’s biggest challenge now is not economic but in building a sense of nationhood based on a common history. “If we don’t do this, we will have no foundation to address the challenges of the future,” he said.
This year’s shortlisted books span an eclectic mixture of non-fiction genres. From a detailed examination of an iconic Indian poet’s life to histories about Malaysian migrants who have made their homes in Singapore, the works cover a range of historical events from different perspectives, each illuminating the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
Readers can vote for their favourite works at any of the 400 Singapore Pools outlets by filling in a ballot form until 2 October. There is a one-in-eleven chance of winning a prize worth up to $1 million in the contest, which was launched by Emmy Award winner Hannah Waddingham and actor Sterling K Brown. This year, the contest was also supported by the National Parks Board and the Singapore Tourism Board. The top 10 titles will be announced on 20 November. For more information, visit the website here. Alternatively, you can download the app and follow @SingaporePrize on Facebook.