The 2022 biennial Singapore prize has awarded 12 winners across its four official languages of Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil at a ceremony tonight. Winners of the Singapore Literature Prize – including fiction, non-fiction and poetry titles in each of the four languages – were announced in a ceremony that was live-streamed on social media by organiser Singapore Book Council.
The winner of the English Poetry Prize, Gillian Tan’s ‘Gaze Back’, was described by judges as “a clarion call for gender and linguistic reclamation searing in its sassy confidence and universal appetite”. “She is not afraid to stray from the page in search of the truth, and that is what makes her a poet to watch,” they said.
In the Non-Fiction category, Hidayah Amin was commended for her book Leluhur: The Story of Kampong Gelam which shows how the community has transformed over the centuries. The book was also commended for its “use of archaeological data and research to bring the past alive”.
Among the winners in the History category, 91-year old NUS Professor Emeritus Peter Ellinger’s memoir Down Memory Lane made him the oldest winner ever of the prize. The book also won the Best English Debut award.
The prize’s nominating committee reviewed 31 books published between January 2017 and May 30 this year for the awards which include a cash purse of $3,500 (US$2,158) and a commissioned trophy. The book that receives the top prize will be announced in October.
During his trip to Singapore, Britain’s Prince William walked the green carpet at Changi Airport for the third Earthshot Prize awards ceremony. He was joined by celebrities including Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, actors Donnie Yen and Lana Condor and Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin.
He then went to the World’s Largest Indoor Waterfall at the Rain Vortex for a public event, where he was shown how five of the 15 finalists – from solar-powered dryers that combat food waste to making electric car batteries cleaner – use innovative technologies to solve environmental problems.
The prince said the solutions shown by all of the finalists proved that “hope does remain” as climate change continues to make its devastating effects felt globally. He was a guest of the Royal Foundation charity, which co-sponsors the competition with the National Geographic. The prince said he was particularly impressed by the innovations that help reduce carbon emissions. During the event, the prince was shown how the solution he helped to fund – a mobile solar panel that can power lights at night and charge mobile phones – works by watching it in action. Each of the finalists presented a two-minute video showing how their technology works and answered questions from the crowd. The prince was also introduced to the winners of the Young Leaders programme, who shared their experiences and projects that help others in need. He congratulated them and encouraged them to keep up their good work.