The Singapore Prize and the Spirit of Singapore Book Prize
The singapore prize is a biennial book award in Singapore, which recognizes outstanding published works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. It is the country’s most prestigious literary prize, and the top winner receives S$30,000 in cash, along with a commissioned trophy. It is awarded by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) in Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil.
The prize money is given to the authors for their work, and the winning entries are selected through public nominations. The winners are announced at the awards ceremony held annually in November. The prize is administered by the judging committee, which consists of members from the publishing industry and academia. The judges look for a work that addresses Singapore issues and culture, and that is both accessible and innovative. The prize money is a large amount of money for the authors, and it shows that their work is well received in Singapore.
Singapore’s richest book prize is aimed at promoting the writing of books that champion mindsets and values important to the nation. Created through a $1 million donation by Confucian scholar Alan Chan, the Dr Alan HJ Chan Spirit of Singapore Book Prize was launched on April 18. It is considered the richest book award in Singapore, and it carries a cash prize of $30,000 for both fiction and non-fiction books. It is open to publishers of works that champion “equality, diversity, religious harmony, meritocracy, pragmatism, and resilience” — key mindsets and values that define Singapore.
For the first time, a week-long series of events will accompany the award ceremony. The events will be part of Earthshot Week, and they aim to bring global leaders, businesses, and investors to Singapore to meet and discuss ways to solve the world’s biggest environmental challenges. The Prince of Wales has chosen Singapore as the third location to host an Earthshot awards ceremony, following on from London in 2020 and Boston last year.
The winner of the 2023 Singapore Prize for Mathematical Sciences will receive a cash prize of S$10,000. The runner-up will receive S$5,000, while the two finalists will each get S$3,000. The award is presented by the Singapore Mathematical Society, a national body that represents the interests of the mathematical community in Singapore.
The winners of this competition will be honoured by the Singapore Book Council in a special event next month, and they will also receive a hand-crafted trophy and a 12-month gift code from StoryTel. More than half of this year’s shortlisted authors were recognised for their first-time submissions, including 91-year-old suratman Markesan for his creative nonfiction work Honing the Pen, Volume 2, and rma cureess for her Tamil novel Home Is Where We Are Going. The winning works are selected by a panel of judges comprising local and foreign experts in the field, including academics and authors. They were chosen from the list of shortlisted works based on the quality and impact of their research, creativity, and accessibility.