The Singapore Prize is a biennial award presented to Singapore authors, illustrators and translators. The award recognises works published in the country’s four official languages – Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. The prize money is a part of the larger Singapore Book Awards programme, and the winner receives a trophy designed by artist Wong Lee Kong.
The prestigious prize is worth about US$100,000 and includes a cash component, an international fellowship to pursue research at Harvard University for up to three years, and a research grant worth up to US$200,000. The winners are chosen by a jury consisting of academicians from Harvard and experts in their fields. The prize was established in 2022 by the Harvard Club of Singapore and is a joint initiative with the National Arts Council of Singapore.
In addition to the prize money, winners are expected to contribute some of their winnings back into the community. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the winner of this year’s prize, Muhammad Dinie from Institute of Technical Education College Central Singapore (ITE), helped to lead a project that distributed food and grocery vouchers to Town Council cleaners in his neighbourhood. This was done to show appreciation for the hard work that the cleaners had been doing during the pandemic.
Another Singaporean, kiteboarder Max Maeder, may have more in his bank account than most Olympic gold medalists after he won the men’s single sculls at the Rio Olympics on Sunday. The country’s National Olympic Council pays athletes who win medals in individual events through its Major Games Award Program (MAP) a sizeable sum based on how well they perform at the Olympics, Asian and Commonwealth Games. In the case of a gold medalist, they can earn up to $1 million Singapore dollars.
This is the second year that the prize has been awarded to a single recipient. During the ceremony, the winner was also given a special honourary medal bearing the state arms of Singapore.
During the event, Prince William made an appearance at the awards ceremony and looked coordinated with host Hannah Waddingham, who wore a dark green velour dress and matching dickie bow. Waddingham also looked like she had the same sash as the thick carpet that the prize winners had to walk down for their big moment.
The winners of the UOB SEA POY 2024 were announced tonight at a gala attended by past winners, guests and the local arts community. The judging panel was led by Regional Adviser Mr Kwok Kian Chow, with Chief Judges from each of the participating countries: Dr Vichaya Mukdamanee (Singapore), Bibi Chew (Malaysia), Melati Suryodarmo (Indonesia), Amrit Chusuwan (Thailand) and Dang Xuan Hoa (Vietnam). The winners were selected by an esteemed panel of judges that included local luminaries and members of the public. The winning artists will have their works displayed at the National Gallery of Singapore until the end of the month.
