A book that took 14 years to publish and weighs 3.2kg has been awarded the third Singapore prize, an annual award that recognises outstanding books on Singapore history. The tome by Khir Johari, the author of the Food of the Malays and Singapore in the Straits, beat five other shortlisted works to win the triennial National University of Singapore (NUS) award.
NUS Asia Research Institute distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani mooted the prize in a Straits Times column in April 2014, calling for philanthropists to donate cash to honour a Singaporean historian. An anonymous donor stepped forward a few months later, offering a total of S$500,000. The money has been placed in an endowment fund to support the award.
Prof Miksic picked up the S$50,000 prize at a ceremony in November, with a trophy designed to look like an archaeological dig. He was also presented with a S$25,000 cheque, and a scholarship at NUS to further his studies. “I hope that the prize will encourage more people to take up the study of Singapore’s past, and hopefully, in the future, we can broaden the category of works that qualify for the award,” he said. He said there were plans to expand the category to include fictional works such as movies and comics, which could help explain complex issues in a more compelling way than non-fiction.
The prize is funded by Singapore Pools, a government-owned not-for-profit corporation that operates lotteries and sports and motor racing betting. It generates income for the Singaporean government that is channelled towards sports, education and charitable projects. The company is known for its popular Singapore Toto lottery, which sees a huge turnout at major draw events. The jackpot is constantly growing, making it a highly competitive game.
In addition to the book prize, the Singapore literature prize recognises published novels and poetry in Chinese, English and Malay in the country’s four official languages. This year, it also includes a new award for non-fiction. The prize’s nominating committee reviewed 31 books submitted by publishers and nominated six for the award. The panel included Associate Professor Ian Gordon, former head of NUS’ department of history; Foo Hai Fellow and assistant professor Seng Guo Quan; educator Beatrice Chong; curator Suhaili Osman and playwright Alfian Sa’at.
This year’s prize will be administered by Conservation International, which has a long history of spotlighting and financing biodiversity programmes and sustainability financing across Southeast Asia and beyond. The organisation will leverage its extensive network and vast expertise to guide the selection of finalists and connect the winners with other partners committed to delivering scalable, innovative solutions for people and nature.
During his visit to Singapore, the prince will meet with representatives of law enforcement agencies and conservation groups that fight the illegal trade in wildlife products, which is estimated to be worth $20 billion annually. He will also attend a summit with Singaporeans and global partners working to combat climate change and promote sustainable development. He will also visit The Istana palace, one of Singapore’s most prestigious heritage sites.