Singapore Prize 2024 Winners Announced
The prize was introduced in 2024 and aims to recognise outstanding publications in English on Singapore history that have made a significant impact in our understanding of the past. It is open to book-length works or creative works with clear historical themes that have been published between 1 June 2021 and 31 May 2024.
The award ceremony was held on 6 March at the Substation Theatre. The guest of honour was filmmaker Jack Neo. The jury panel included award-winning Thai film producer Soros Sukhum (‘Eternity’, ‘Mundane History’), filmmaker and Singapore International Film Festival director Leonard Lai (‘Dirty Bitch’, ‘High Cost of Living’) and director of SSFA 2024 nominees and winners, nuSTUDIOS, Jolyn Lee.
Besides the traditional pre-printed tickets, there is now on-demand ticket printing within all Singapore Pools outlets and authorised machines for the Group 1 category of the lottery. There is a one-in-eleven chance of winning the prize money in the Group 1 category, which is up to a maximum of $19.4 million.
A book on the life of an average family that eschews the notion that history is just a record of big movers and shakers has won the inaugural Singapore prize, the country’s first literary accolade devoted to its history. The prize was mooted by Straits Times columnist Kishore Mahbubani, the distinguished NUS Asia Research Institute professor who led a four-member jury that chose the winner, Professor John Miksic’s Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800.
He said: “The famous American social scientist Benedict Anderson once wrote that nations are ‘imagined communities,’ and that shared stories, especially history, are a critical glue that holds societies together.”
Other shortlisted books include a memoir of a woman who escaped from the communist regime in Vietnam and another work on Singapore’s colonial past. Also, a book on a multi-generational family’s struggles in their estate over five decades. The prize was organised by the National Heritage Board and the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation, with the support of the SG50 programme.
Besides books, the prize will recognise multimedia works like films and comics that tell stories about Singapore. This is a reflection of the growing role played by social innovations in tackling societal challenges, and the need to reach new audiences beyond the traditional book market. Prince William and other presenters wore recycled clothing on the green carpet, including the royal’s 10-year-old dark green blazer by Alexander McQueen, while New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wore a dress by British label Stella McCartney known for its eco-friendly materials.