The Singapore Prize is a biennial award that honours outstanding published works in the fields of literature, non-fiction and poetry by Singaporeans. It was established in 1987 and is endorsed by the President of the Republic of Singapore. The winners receive a cash prize and an official certificate. The prize is based on the number of votes received by each nominated work and is determined by an independent panel of judges.
The winner of the 2023 prize was announced at a gala awards ceremony in Singapore hosted by Prince William. This year, the prize was awarded in partnership with Temasek Trust and GenZero. The Prince’s office said he chose Singapore to host the event because of its “cluster of innovation and impact in Southeast Asia.”
This year, there were 26 submissions, the quality of which led the jury to issue two special commendations without attendant cash awards. The Food of the Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through the Archipelago by Khir Johari won the top prize, and Theatres of Memory: Industrial Heritage of 20th Century Singapore by Lynn Wong, Alex Tan, Koh Keng Wee, Loh Kah Seng and Juria Toramae won the second runner-up.
In addition, the judges awarded one runner-up in each category, with a special commendation for DoP Vu Hoang Trieu’s cinematography in Lou Ye’s short film Elephants by the Roadside, which won the audience choice award in this year’s Feature Competition. DoP Yeong Sik Choo and director Dam Quang Trung also shared the best editing accolade for their film The Way Home.
At the ceremony, the Prince tried his hand at dragon boating and met with a range of organisations working to protect and restore the planet, from law enforcement agencies to conservation groups fighting the trade in wildlife products, estimated to be worth up to $20 billion a year. He congratulated the winners and said: “Their success is inspiring and will have a huge positive impact on our planet. Together, we can make the difference.”
During his visit to Singapore, the Prince will also meet with a group of Singaporean scientists who have been recognised as Presidential Fellows, the highest honour that can be bestowed on researchers in Singapore. He will learn about their ground-breaking research, and witness the dynamism of Singapore’s growing scientific community. He will then attend a celebration of the winners of The Earthshot Prize, a global prize founded by The Duke of Cambridge and Temasek to catalyse action to protect and restore our planet. The Earthshot Prize has already awarded over PS10 million to ten innovative organisations that have made a significant contribution towards the goal of limiting warming to 1.5° Celsius. The Prince will also be visiting the United for Wildlife summit, which will bring together representatives of law enforcement and conservation organisations to discuss how we can stop the global trade in illegal wildlife.