The inaugural Singapore Prize winners will each be granted an amount of $1.5 million as an aid in scaling their environmental solutions, joining an international network of Earthshot Prize recipients, to draw upon its expertise and resources.

This prestigious prize seeks to identify, support and recognize innovative social impact projects that embody Singaporean spirit – such as equality, diversity, meritocracy and pragmatism, as well as strong emphasis on education and community – with special consideration given for projects from gender equality. It will be presented by National Heritage Board in partnership with The Business Times.

Former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, who founded this prize with an anonymous donation in 2014 and chaired its panel, recently stated that Singaporeans need to work towards building strong senses of identity and shared history in this new century rather than focus solely on economic concerns. To accomplish this objective, they should read, write and discuss their history as well as learn from experiences from other countries across Southeast Asia.

For 2024, the prize will be expanded to include an Arts and Multimedia Category that recognizes any artist, author, playwright, performer or producer of artistic or multimedia historical work delivered in English language (works translated to English are acceptable) (works translated into English are also acceptable). It is open to Singaporeans aged 18 years or above who have completed work that contributes to a deeper understanding of Singapore history or spark interest in its past.

This year’s Singapore Literature Prize saw 224 submissions across four official languages of Singapore; fiction competed alongside poetry for the inaugural time ever. Winning titles included Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger’s Memoirs (2023) by National University of Singapore professor emeritus Peter Ellinger and Cockman (2022), an independently published novel about an alien chicken living among us in human form.

Cyril Wong’s memoir – described by judges as an enjoyable account of a young man’s search for his family’s Singaporean identity – received high marks in both creative non-fiction categories for its vivid writing and exploration of complex connections between identities and worldly existence. Malay fiction section judges applauded Ning Cai’s Magic Babe Ning as an “audacious yet seductive call” towards gender and linguistic reclaiming.

AI Singapore recently unveiled a 10-week competition designed to advance AI research in designing models and solutions for detecting audiovisual fake media. This challenge sought to detect the unique digital cultures present within Singaporean regions where there was limited data regarding harmful memes. More information on the Online Safety Prize Challenge can be found here. In general, Prize Philanthropy research indicates that stronger approaches tend to have clearer visions and longer-term commitment. Assuring long-term goals for grantees is also vital in order to effectively address bias and gain access to high-level technical knowledge. Engaging external technical input early can be essential in order to address bias.