Singapore Prize 2023 Winners
A maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace and groups that work to make electric car batteries cleaner and restore Andean forests were among the 2023 winners of the Singapore prize. Britain’s Prince William, whose Royal Foundation charity launched the 10-year award program in 2020, said at Tuesday’s ceremony that the solutions presented by the 15 finalists demonstrated that “hope does remain” as climate change’s devastating effects are felt around the world.
Actors Donnie Yen, Lana Condor and Nomzano Mbatha also joined presenters at the glitzy event in the theater of state-owned media company Mediacorp Campus in downtown Singapore. In keeping with the sustainable theme, William wore a 10-year-old dark green suit by Alexander McQueen and the actors wore gowns and suits from designers known for their eco-friendly clothing.
Scientists in Singapore are pushing the boundaries of what is possible, advancing technologies that could help to tackle climate change and other global challenges. These cutting-edge innovations have been recognised in the President’s Science and Technology Awards, which were formerly the National Science and Technology Awards until they gained Presidential status in 2009.
This year’s award ceremony was held at the Lee Kong Chian Museum of Fine Arts. Winners received a medallion, cash prize of $2 million and an opportunity to be mentored by some of the region’s top business leaders.
The Singapore Prize was first awarded in 2008 to recognise pioneers who have made significant contributions in the fields of science, technology and innovation. Since then, the prizes have evolved to meet changing needs and to recognise more types of innovations.
The prizes are administered by the government-backed National Research Foundation. In addition to the five Grand Prizes, the Singapore Science Awards honours individuals and teams in six categories – Scientific Advancement, Technological Innovation, Social Impact, Environment, Education and Lifelong Learning.
The Singapore Pools TOTO lottery game, which was first introduced in 1968, has evolved over the years. It now uses a System Entry feature that allows players to win multiple prizes even if they don’t match all of the winning numbers. Traditional pre-printed tickets have been replaced by on-demand ticket printing within the Singapore Pools outlets. Players have a one-in-eleven chance of winning a prize in a TOTO draw. The highest prize ever won on a TOTO ticket was $13 million in the Group 2 draw on Oct 2, 2023. The winning ticket was purchased from an outlet in Giant supermarket in Pioneer Mall. The prize money was shared between 12 winners. This is the second time in the history of TOTO that the jackpot prize has exceeded $5 million.