Singapore Prize For Literature – Winners Announced
The prize is awarded to writers whose works demonstrate “the highest literary standards, in addition to a strong resonance with the general public”. A wide range of genres are considered. In addition to the premium prize, each winner receives a commissioned trophy and book-purchase vouchers worth a total of $2,500. Winners are selected by a panel of judges and readers’ votes.
This is the third time the award ceremony has been held, but the first to be held in Asia. It was also the first year that the awards were presented in person instead of via video link from London or Boston as had been the case for previous ceremonies.
Britain’s Prince William hosted the award ceremony, which awarded a total of five green innovators with a catalytic 1 million-pound (£1.23 million) prize. The winners, who work on projects including a cleaner lithium-ion battery and ocean conservation, were chosen from more than 120 applications. “The light of hope burns brightly in our Earthshot finalists,” the prince, whose Royal Foundation charity launched the prize program in 2020, said at the event.
In addition to the main categories, the prize also honours writers who have been shortlisted in two or more categories and for whose work a reader vote was received. This year, writer Clara Chow made history as the first person to be shortlisted in three categories and two languages. She was shortlisted for her Chinese fiction, English creative nonfiction and Mandarin poetry works.
The event was attended by more than 2,000 people, with most of them lining up to buy tickets and attend the event. Some of them waited as long as four hours to purchase tickets, and the venue was filled with excited chatter as people began to get in.
Aside from the main prizes, a number of other awards were given to a variety of groups and individuals. The winners of the Singapore Youth Prize and the Youth Champion Awards were also announced at the event. The winners of the HOFS Singapore Prize and the Youth Distinguished Award were also present.
The prestigious Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize was also given out. The award was based on the idea that cities should share their knowledge and experiences with one another in order to solve common problems. The winner, Vienna, was presented with a certificate and gold medallion during the awards ceremony. The prize was first given out in 2016 but the ceremony had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year.