As part of their efforts to promote Singapore’s publishing industry, prize organizers are hosting the Readers’ Favorite exercise that allows book-lovers to vote for their preferred shortlisted title in each language and potentially win vouchers – this was introduced as part of last year’s SG50 celebrations and serves to connect readers to winning titles.
This prize recognizes published works written in English that contribute significantly to our understanding of Singapore history, from any time period or theme/field; they may include non-fiction as well as fiction works. Administered by NUS Department of History, winners receive S$50,000 as prize money upon winning this prestigious award every three years.
Professor John Miksic won the inaugural prize with his publication Singapore And The Silk Road Of The Sea, 1300-1800. It presents archaeological evidence that Singapore was an important trading port during this time, while providing an update on how we view maritime history of this region.
This year, six publications were selected by a national panel of judges from across the nation and will be announced October 2 at a public ceremony hosted by Prince William in Singapore. This prize takes its name from President Kennedy’s famous “moonshot” speech challenging Americans to reach the moon by 2030.
Publishers and authors gathered at The Theatre Mediacorp to witness this year’s winners being unveiled, which also included a performance from Hannah Waddingham – known for her exceptional songs as Hannah Waddingham Prince. Prince donned a dark green velour suit with matching dickie bow, while Waddingham donned an eye-catching black sparkly ball gown; both made for an impressive sight on the thick green carpet laid out for them to walk down.
The prize was judged by five judges representing Singapore’s four official languages, each assigned a specific judge seat. The winning book was chosen based on its contribution to understanding Singapore’s history and culture as well as taking into account factors like author writing style, level of scholarship and topic relevance for Singaporeans.
NUS Press received the publisher of the year award for their efforts on this prize, while other winners included National University of Singapore Professor Emeritus Peter Ellinger won for Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger’s Memoirs; Pulp III: An Intimate Inventory Of The Banished Book (2023); President Tharman Shanmugaratnam also attended this event and presented an achievement award posthumously to Malay author Suratman Markasan who died earlier this year; this honour was accepted on his behalf by daughter in their honourable place at this event.
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