Singapore Prize Shortlist For 2019
If you’re a fan of sassy poetry, you might want to check out Gaze Back by Tan Wei-Ming. The award-winning author’s new book is a “clarion call for gender and linguistic reclamation, searing in its sassy confidence and universal appetite”.
You can also read the full shortlist here. This year’s list includes a non-fiction work with a personal slant, such as Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Gelam by Hidayah Amin, which shines light on the history of a neighbourhood that many only know as a tourist attraction. It’s also worth checking out State Of Emergency, by Jeremy Tiang, which takes us to the 1950s when Singapore’s future seemed to be up for grabs.
The prize’s organiser, the National University of Singapore Asia Research Institute, has a mission to “restore and enhance Singapore’s identity through a shared understanding of its history”. Kishore Mahbubani, who chairs this year’s jury, says that the world is now experiencing what American social scientist Benedict Anderson called the Asian century. It is a time when nations are becoming a ‘shared imagination’, with a shared sense of history being one critical glue holding societies together.
This year’s winner will receive a cash prize of S$50,000. The winner will be announced in October 2021.
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has made small prize challenge awards to two companies to optimise their counter-drone and secure drone communications technologies for use by warfighters. The DIU aims to spur technological innovation and encourage breakthroughs in defence science and technology, and is a key component of the Ministry of Defence’s Innovation and Capability Office.
DIU has previously made smaller prize challenge awards to an Indian maker of solar-powered dryers and a soil carbon marketplace, among others. It has also given a grant to a Singaporean-based company to develop an AI-powered facial recognition system that will recognise and classify faces in photographs.
The prize ceremony for this year’s Singapore Prize was held on Thursday. Presenters at the event, which was broadcast live on a digital platform, included actor Sterling K. Brown and singer Bebe Rexha. In keeping with the sustainability theme, the host of the event wore a 10-year-old dark green blazer by Alexander McQueen and other presenters wore clothes from local brands that recycle their fabrics. Other highlights included performances by the bands One Republic and Bastille, as well as a special appearance by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. You can watch the entire ceremony here.