Indonesia — Indian solar dryer manufacturers, soil carbon marketplace and groups working to clean electric car batteries and restore Andean forests were among the winners of this year’s Singapore Prize awards. Prince William of Britain launched these awards through his charity in 2020; their winning projects show “hope does exist” amid climate change’s devastating impact.
This year’s competition was further strengthened with the addition of two categories – Best Debut and Readers’ Favourite award based on consumer votes – for poetry by Marylyn Tan and history by Wang Gungwu; Chinese author Wong Koi Tet won in Chinese while Malay-language novelist Suratman Markasan took home Malay honours. Comics and graphic novels now have their own category as do works translated from Singaporean authors into English.
Over 4,000 voters participated, which was more than double the participation in Round One, and four winners — Ali bin Salim, Daryl Qilin Yam, Pan Zheng Lei and rma cureess –were presented with cash prizes and specially commissioned trophies. Six books shortlisted as readers’ favourites will also be showcased on our website.
The NUS Singapore History Prize welcomes writers of any nationality and offers a broad scope in terms of time periods and themes related to Singapore’s past. Entries may also feature works written without Singaporean dialect, such as popular academic tome Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore (2019; available here) or Kamaladevi Aravindan’s novel Sembawang (2021) by Kamaladevi Aravindan.
Established by Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin in 2022, this prize recognizes and supports innovative projects designed to combat climate change and protect our planet. For 2023, Temasek Trust has joined as founding partner and will host both the ceremony itself as well as numerous regional events throughout Southeast Asia.
Hannah Jones, CEO of the Prize’s CEO Hannah Jones tells AFP news agency that this development underscores their “determination to expand their work in Asia and highlight some of the incredible climate innovations being created by entrepreneurs across this region.”
On his visit, Prince William will meet local dignitaries as well as representatives of businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and research institutes. Additionally, he will attend a United for Wildlife summit with law enforcement and conservation agencies discussing how to combat illegal wildlife trade which is estimated at being worth $20 billion per year.
Winners of this year’s awards will each receive a prize of GBP 1 million (approximately SGD 1.7 million). This sum will act as an incentive for their ideas and innovations, helping to propel them further along their paths to scale-up. In addition, winners will gain access to an international network of expert advisers and investors; finalist selection was carried out by an esteemed panel comprised of business leaders, scientists, academics and others from diverse industries such as World Economic Forum, UN Environment Programme and British Council partners – further strengthening their efforts!