The inaugural Singapore Prize was awarded in 12 categories to 43 writers in the island state’s four languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The awards were presented tonight at Mediacorp Theatre in Singapore. Winners were chosen from a shortlist of finalists. The event was hosted by Hannah Waddingham, 49, who donned a long black sparkling dress and a dark green sash to match the colour of the carpet that the winners walked on. She also wore a matching dickie bow. Prince William, 57, was also in attendance for the ceremony.
Besides the main prizes, winners will get a trophy and 12-month Storytel audiobook gift subscription. In addition, they will have the opportunity to participate in a prestigious writing residency and workshop organised by the Singapore Literature Centre.
This year, the jury panel for the Singapore Prize included prominent local and foreign writers, scholars and literary critics. They include acclaimed novelist and essayist Lee Seow-Poh, poet and author of the memoir The Land of Plenty Dr Aik Beng Tiang, and writer and academic Cyril Wong.
The winner of the English-language category was awarded to journalist Akshita Nanda for her debut novel Nimita’s Place, about two women who struggle with societies’ expectations in India and Singapore. She won $3,000, a trophy and a Storytel gift subscription. The other English-language winner was Straits Times columnist Chia Joo Ming for her SG50-centric novel Kian Kok. In the Chinese-language section, the prize was shared by novelist and academic Wu Wenxi for her short story collection Black Panther and journalist and historian Wong Koi Tet for Dakota, a historical account of the lost housing estate in which she grew up.
For the Tamil-language category, the prize was awarded to Prasanthi Ram’s short story cycle Nine Yard Sarees, which focuses on generations of a Tamil Brahmin family dispersed across Singapore, Sydney and New York City. It was the winner’s first work to make the shortlist of the Singapore Prize. The other Tamil-language winners were Cheenalakshumi (poetry) by Mathikumar Thayumanavan, Yaamakkodangi (fiction) by Kanagalatha K and Appan (creative non-fiction) by Azhagunila.
The National University of Singapore History Prize was founded to promote a greater understanding of the complexities and nuances of Singapore’s history among the general public. It is the first of its kind in the world to recognise the efforts of historians and other writers who explore Singapore’s past from a broad range of perspectives, rather than simply focusing on major events or big names. The prize was conceived by former Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, a distinguished fellow at the NUS Asia Research Institute. He chairs the prize’s five-member jury panel. He described it as “an important way to develop a sense of common identity for Singaporeans”.