National University of Singapore History Department announced six works as contenders for its NUS Singapore Prize, launched in 2021 with a cash award of S$50,000 and open to non-fiction works on any aspect of Singaporean history. The prize is an initiative between NUS history department and Lee Kuan Yew Foundation whose founder Professor Kishore Mahbubani launched a campaign in April to raise enough money to reward good writing on local history.
On September 12th, The Singapore Prize 2 was unveiled during a gala ceremony held at The Theatre at MediaCorp in Singapore. Over 400 patrons contributed over $45 Million towards advancing local arts ecosystem this year; winners were recognized in 12 categories such as Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil.
Singaporeans increasingly value art education as part of a development strategy and this award celebrates both individual artists as well as reflecting the wider belief in its value among Singaporeans. Patron support has been essential in cultivating new artistic talent here and NAC is proud to see an increasing pool of donors.
At the gala hosted by actor Hannah Waddingham and emcee Sterling K. Brown, Prince Charles donned a dark green Alexander McQueen blazer designed to complement the thick green carpet attendees walked upon; in keeping with this year’s Earthshot Awards theme of sustainability as inspired by President John F Kennedy’s 1962 “moonshot” speech which called on Americans to reach for the moon by 2030.
Dr Gertjan Medema, a microbiologist who led the team that pioneered wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), an innovative technique used to detect viruses in water samples, won another prize. WBE revolutionised how viruses are detected in wastewater samples quickly enabling early identification and response when an outbreak occurred, and taking preventative steps quickly thereafter.
Since 1987, President’s Science and Technology Awards have been conferred upon those whose scientific contributions make a positive contribution to society. Now elevated to Presidential status in 2009, these are considered among the highest honors bestowed upon scientists for their scientific contributions that have positive societal outcomes. The President of Singapore bestows these awards annually, honouring individuals and groups that have demonstrated excellence in giving, whether through arts, sports, heritage preservation, animal welfare initiatives or more informal means. The winner will be honored with a gold medal and trophy as well as a cash prize of up to $1 Million, while runners-up will receive silver medals and trophies as their award. In addition to these main awards, many special prizes were also distributed; click here for the complete list. At an awards ceremony scheduled for December, winners will be officially presented by President of Singapore during an awards ceremony and broadcasted live by Channel 5. Stay tuned here and on our Facebook page for further updates as we keep you up-to-date!