Every year, prizes are awarded by the Singapore Prize Selection Committee – an independent group of experts appointed by the government – as a result of rigorous evaluation of research output from both public and private institutions of higher learning, with strong impact and relevance to society. This ensures that the awards reflect high-quality research that meets society needs and has lasting value.
This year’s winners included the inaugural award presented solely to works focusing on Singaporean history: the 2024 NUS Singapore History Prize with its cash prize of up to $20,000. Wesley Leon Aroozoo’s The Punkhawala and the Prostitute was shortlisted in this inaugural competition; books about Singaporean history competed alongside fiction and non-fiction works rather than poetry and prose works.
Kishore Mahbubani, former ambassador and now chair of the NUS Singapore History Prize jury panel, commented that it is vital for societies to share in a common narrative through history as it unifies. Mahbubani highlighted this idea when speaking at an NUS Singapore History Prize event earlier this month: it “serves as a timely reminder of nations as imagined communities; having shared history knowledge helps form the bedrock for society.”
“The NUS Singapore History Prize honours scholarship’s role in shaping national identity and culture – it helps us gain greater insight into our past so that we may make wiser choices about our future, while simultaneously highlighting the value of humanities in Singapore.”
Lecturer in English department Yong Shu Hoong also won big in this year’s Singapore Literature Prize: his English creative nonfiction book Anatomy of a Wave was awarded first prize. This marks Yong’s third victory – previously winning awards for Frottage and The Viewing Party; making him the only individual ever shortlisted for three categories throughout its 30 year run!
Organisers say this prize’s main theme is celebrating writers from diverse backgrounds and ages, representing Singapore’s multiculturalism. Five writers were shortlisted in multiple categories this year with two receiving multiple awards at an award ceremony to take place on 27 May at the National Museum of Singapore.
The Singapore Prize, established by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and offering up to $20,000 cash prizes for published works written in any of Singapore’s four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay or Tamil is presented each year by NBDCS and winners are notified via email shortly afterwards and then receive their prize at a later date. In addition to a top prize awarding up to $20,000 cash prizes there are eight runners-up who each will receive an engraved trophy as well as 12-month subscription to StoryTel subscriptions; entry deadline is January 28 and more information can be found by visiting NBDCS’ website