The prize has been described as one of the most prestigious home-grown literary awards and is open to all Singapore citizens and permanent residents who have published a book in one or more of the four official languages. The prize recognises outstanding books that contribute to the understanding of Singapore’s history and heritage.
The 2024 prize ceremony saw a number of firsts: Marylyn Tan became the prize’s first female winner for English poetry and won a second award in the Chinese fiction category with her debut collection, Gaze Back, which focuses on taboo subjects from menstruation to sexuality. The best translation award went to educator Jeremy Tiang for his work with Chinese author Zhang Yueran’s Cocoon, in which two childhood friends struggle to put to bed dark secrets of their past.
Previously, the award had only three categories: for poetry, non-fiction and fiction in all of the country’s official languages. This year, the organisers introduced a new English comic or graphic novel category and a new translation category. The prize also has a new name and a revamped website.
Professor Kishore Mahbubani, the senior advisor (university and global affairs) at NUS who chairs the prize’s Jury Panel, said there could be plans to expand the types of works that can qualify for the award. He gave the example of a movie like 12 Years A Slave, saying that some historical stories may be told better through fiction or other formats.
This year, the prize also recognised the contributions of seven Laureate Cities and 22 Special Mentions for their innovations in using technology to tackle the world’s most pressing environmental problems. The Laureate Cities and their projects form a repository of ideas, solutions and inspiring examples that other cities can learn from and aspire to.
In addition to the main prizes, there are several other awards for students. Interested students can be nominated by their teachers and then submit their artwork online before the deadline. The judges will select the winning student artists and a School Award will be given to the school of each Judges Prize winner.
The Singapore Toto Prize was first launched in 1968 as a manual pool, and progressively changed into an electronic lottery in 1998. The game was relaunched with a higher Premium Prize and the traditional pre-printed tickets were replaced with on-demand ticket printing within Singapore Pools outlets. Today, the prize is worth over $2.3 million and the average jackpot is about $77,000. There is a one-in-eleven chance of winning in every Singapore Toto draw. For more information on the prize and its rules, visit here.