The winners of the 2022 singapore prize were announced in 12 categories across the island-state’s four languages at a ceremony tonight (August 25). The biennial prize, which honors works of literature, history, and nonfiction, includes a consumer-voted Readers’ Favourite category. The winner of this popular award receives a cash prize, a special hand-crafted trophy, and a 12-month gift code to audiobook platform StoryTel.
Professor Miksic’s work is an exploration of Singapore’s pre-colonial past and its place in the Asian region, which he calls “a fundamental reinterpretation of the nation’s identity and national narrative.” The prize jury, chaired by NUS Asia Research Institute distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani, also awarded the runner-up prize to Kamaladevi Aravindan for Sembawang and On The Ground: A History of a Singaporean Estate.
All the winning works in the English categories are first-time winners, including poetry collections by alllkunilaa (Azhagunila), innnpaa (Inbha), Jee Leong Koh, and rma cureess (Rama Suresh). In addition, two of the three finalists in the Poetry category were male writers. In a speech posted on Facebook and later removed, poet Grace Chia said that the prize’s sexism “reeks of an engendered privilege that continues to plague this nation’s literary community.”
In the Nonfiction category, the judges selected historian and journalist Xinyi Wang for her book Shanghai and Beyond: The Story of Modern China’s Most Cosmopolitan City. The book explores the connections between Shanghai and other major cities in the region, and the influence that Chinese culture had on its surroundings. Other notable works in the category were The Landmark, a look at the evolution of Singapore, by NUS East Asian Institute scholar and author Wang Gungwu; and a biography of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, by historian and writer Philip Snook.
Meanwhile, the prestigious Readers’ Favourite award was won by four writers. More than 4,000 voters cast their ballots for this year’s winners, nearly twice as many as last year’s cohort of consumers. The Readers’ Favourite winners – Ali bin Salim, Daryl Qilin Yam, Pan Zheng Lei (Pan Cheng Lui), and rma cureess – each received a cash prize of S$1,000. They will also have the chance to win book vouchers worth $50.
Britain’s Prince William will visit Singapore next month to announce the winners of the Earthshot Prize, a competition created by him to inspire optimism about climate change and its impact on our planet. The royal will meet with local groups who are working on solutions during his visit.
DBS Group executive and country head Shee Tse Koon praised the Para-athletes, noting that they exemplify the values of purpose, passion and excellence, as well as the spirit of innovation, that the bank aims to promote. Shee added that DBS is committed to supporting the Para-athletes through its sports sponsorship programme and will continue to do so in the future. The group also provides funding for the Singapore Disability Sports Council and SNPC to support training and development of the athletes.