The grand prize winner of the Singapore prize is awarded annually to a project that seeks to address significant challenges in the world. The prize is jointly executed by Cap Vista Accelerator in Singapore and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in the United States, with subject matter experts from both countries evaluating submissions.
This year’s winners were announced at an extravagant ceremony attended by the prince, who wore a dark green velour suit with a matching dickie bow and a poppy pin in his lapel to mark Remembrance Day. He was joined by the award’s host, actress Hannah Waddingham, who wore a long black sparkling ball gown and a large flower pin.
A total of 17 writers, translators and comic artists have won the Singapore literature prize, with two books receiving special commendations. The winners were picked from shortlisted works in four languages by a jury panel, including poet Clara Chow. She is the first writer in the program’s history to be shortlisted for three categories and two languages.
The winners in the Tamil section are Yaamakkodangi (poetry) by Mathikumar Thayumanavan, Cheenalakshumi (fiction) by Kanagalatha K and Appan (creative non-fiction) by Azhagunil. The English language winners are Reviving Qixi: Singapore’s Forgotten Seven Sisters Festival by Lynn Wong Yuqing and Lee Kok Leong, and Theatres of Memory: Industrial Heritage of 20th Century Singapore by Loh Kah Seng, Alex Tan Tiong Hee, Koh Keng We, Tan Teng Phee and Juria Toramae.
This year, the prince chose to focus on projects aimed at protecting and restoring the planet, including the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. He will visit several organizations in the country to see how they are working to combat the issue, which is estimated to be worth $20 billion annually and has been linked to human trafficking, slavery, armed conflict and gang violence. He will also try his hand at dragon boating, a popular sport in Singapore and other parts of the region, as well as meet with local people working to protect nature and their communities.
The prince will attend the United for Wildlife summit, which brings together law enforcement officials and conservation groups from around the world to discuss the global trade in endangered species. He will also visit the Seletar Aerospace Park and meet with researchers from the Department of Environment to discuss sustainable development in the city state. In addition, he will participate in a prize challenge facilitated by Cap Vista Accelerator and the Defence Innovation Unit seeking solutions for novel maritime security and counter-unmanned aircraft systems technologies. The challenge is the second of its kind and part of a memorandum of understanding between MINDEF and DIU to execute joint prize challenges in Singapore and the United States. MINDEF and DIU are supporting the challenge with a $300,000 prize pool.