The winner of the 2024 Singapore Prize — which honours books that make a difference — was announced at a gala ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday, with celebrities such as actor Donnie Yen, Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and Oscar winner Cate Blanchett walking the green carpet. The winning publications – including solar-powered dryers that combat food waste and new ways to make electric car batteries more environmentally friendly – were selected from among 15 shortlisted titles by a panel of judges.
Founded as part of the national SG50 programme in 2014 to commemorate Singapore’s 50th anniversary, the Singapore Prize is administered by the NUS Department of History. It is open to all book-length works that have significant contributions to our understanding of Singapore’s history, and are accessible to readers from a broad range of backgrounds.
Professor John Miksic has been named the winner of the inaugural Singapore History Prize for his book, Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800. The book provides detailed archaeological evidence to show that Singapore’s long history of migration and trade began earlier than previously thought.
Former Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, who chairs the five-member jury panel and set up the prize in 2014, said at a media conference that the biggest challenge for Singapore today is not economic but building a common identity through a deeper understanding of our shared history. “The most important legacy we can leave our children and grandchildren is a strong sense of Singapore’s history,” he added.
In other news, 91-year-old University of Singapore professor emeritus Peter Ellinger has won the prize for his memoir, Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger’s Memoirs (2023). The book chronicles his life and how it intersects with many major historical events of the 20th century. The judges called it a monumental undertaking whose personal, political, sociocultural and historical elements are woven together with a beautiful coherence.
The prize is given by the NUS Singapore History Prize Trust and is a collaboration between the trust, the department and the Singapore Pools Foundation. The prize has become one of the world’s leading prizes for research on Singapore history. The trust is dedicated to encouraging scholarly work on Singapore’s history, and also encourages a greater interest in the subject by young people.
In addition to the main prize, a number of runner-ups were announced at the ceremony. They include Reviving Qixi: Singapore’s Forgotten Seven Sisters Festival by Lynn Wong Yuqing and Lee Kok Leong, and 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. All the shortlisted books are available at participating bookstores, including Kinokuniya and NUS Press. The winners will receive a cash prize of $50,000 and a citation. More information about the prize is available at the NUS website here. The public can vote for their favourite book until October 2 by filling out a ballot form at any Singapore Pools outlet.