As part of Singapore’s celebrations for the 50th anniversary of its founding as a nation, The NUS Singapore History Prize was established in 2014 to recognise significant publications on the history of the Republic. This year, the prize is worth $2.3 million. It is awarded to six books focusing on different aspects of Singapore’s development and has been open to both local and foreign authors.
The shortlisted works range from examinations of the life of an iconic Indian poet to histories of Malaysian migrants here and of their Malay community, as well as a book that looks at historical events through the lens of a layperson. The judges for this year’s Prize, which are eminent scholars from the region and elsewhere, have selected works that will “inspire and engage, as they take us on an exploration of the richness of Singapore’s past.”
A key reason for the success of the prize, Mahbubani explained, is that it has a clear mandate: to encourage a deeper understanding of Singapore’s history through a broad range of publications. The prize is a reflection of the importance that Mahbubani placed on the need to create a sense of national identity through a shared history, and it also reflects the changing nature of Singapore’s challenges in the 21st century.
For the first time this year, the public will get to decide the winner of the Singapore Prize by filling out ballot forms at Singapore Pools outlets until October 2nd. They can choose their favourite among the six shortlisted titles.
The public vote is in addition to the judging panel’s selection of 20 student artists for the shortlist. The winner of the Judges Prize will receive S$3,500, while the school of the Public Vote prizewinner will receive S$1,800.
The prizewinning teams will attend a three-day programme of workshops, lectures and field trips at the National Museum of Singapore and the Ang Mo Kio township, including a visit to the new Asian Civilisations gallery at the National Museum of Singapore. In addition, they will meet local organisations that are tackling the global crisis in wildlife trafficking. These include law enforcement agencies, conservation groups and corporations. William will join a dragon boat race and attend the United for Wildlife summit, which brings together representatives of government agencies, the private sector and the NGO community. He will also meet with young Singaporeans to learn about their concerns for the planet.