Singapore Prize Winners Announced
In Singapore, a gold medal bonus of $1 million (Singapore dollars) is awarded to athletes who win medals at the Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth and South East Asian Games. It’s the largest prize of its kind, and more than 30 times bigger than the $25,000 offered to American athletes at the Olympics.
Britain’s Prince William was in Singapore for the third annual ceremony to unveil winners of his Earthshot Prize, an initiative that seeks innovative solutions to protect and restore our planet. He said the solutions of the five winning finalists — including solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace and groups that help deter illegal fishing, restore Andean forests and make electric car batteries cleaner — showed “hope does remain” even as the impacts of climate change are felt around the world.
Founded by entrepreneur and former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, the NUS Singapore History Prize awards works that advance understanding of Singapore’s past in ways that reach a broad and non-academic audience. The prize received 26 submissions this year, and judges awarded two special commendations without cash prizes. One of them was Reviving Qixi: Singapore’s Forgotten Seven Sisters Festival by Lynn Wong Yuqing and Lee Kok Leong, while the other was Theatres of Memory: Industrial Heritage of 20th Century Singapore by Loh Kah Seng, Alex Tan Tiong Hee, Koh Keng We, Tan Teng Phee and Juria Toramae.
The prize winner will be able to use the award money for research and development of his or her innovation. The prize will also give the winner the opportunity to present his or her work in international conferences, exhibitions and other events. The winner will be able to use the name of the prize as a part of the title of his or her work. The NUS Singapore History Prize will be presented at an event at the National Museum of Singapore in October.
During the Singapore prize ceremony, the NUS Arts & Culture team unveiled a new competition for secondary school students to showcase their creativity and artistic talent. The Art in Schools Prize is open to students from all schools, regardless of the arts discipline. Students can submit up to three artworks online before the submission deadline, which is 2pm on 15 August. The shortlisted students will be judged by a panel of judges, and their schools will receive the Judges’ Prize of S$3,500 and the Public Vote Prize of S$1,800.
The Art in Schools Prize is supported by the National Arts Council, and sponsors including the Arts Education Academy. For more details, visit the official website.