The winners of this year’s Singapore Prize, a prestigious award to recognise businesses and individuals that help the economy grow, have been announced. The list includes organisations involved in cybersecurity, interior design and more. Neo4j, a graph database software developer, was recognised as the Most Innovative Graph Data Platform 2022. The organisers said Neo4j is a leading enterprise technology platform with deep roots in the Asia Pacific region and around the world, offering a secure, reliable and scalable data structure for complex applications.
The prize ceremony was held at the state-owned MediaCorp Theatre in Singapore. The event was hosted by Emmy award-winning actor Hannah Waddingham and three-time Emmy winning actor Sterling K Brown, with pop bands Bastille and One Republic performing. Actors Cate Blanchett, Lana Condor, Robert Irwin and Nomzamo Mbatha also took part in the glitzy night. Awards made of recycled materials were handed out to the 15 finalists who hail from all over the world.
During his visit to Singapore, the prince will try his hand at dragon boating and meet with local organizations that are working to protect the planet. He will also take part in a summit that brings together law enforcement agencies, conservation groups and corporations working to combat the trade in illegal wildlife products. William’s office says that he chose Singapore because of its role as a hub for innovation in Southeast Asia.
In addition to the five prizes, the judges of this year’s Singapore Prize selected an overall winner in each category and two runners-up. This was the first time that an author had been named a winner in more than one category. In the English fiction category, Sharlene Wen-Ning Teo was honoured for her book Ponti, which Ian McEwan called “a remarkable first novel in the making”.
In the Chinese poetry section, the judges picked Zhuang Xuan’s book My Father’s House, which combines personal stories and history to describe China’s changing social landscape. In the English creative nonfiction section, the judges commended Clara Chow’s book, The Book of Life: The Story of a Chinese Immigrant Family in Britain, for its ability to convey the complexity of being an immigrant family in Britain.
The judges for the Singapore literature prize praised the work of all the shortlisted authors. But they decided to give special mentions to two entries: A Life of Wonders by Aisyah Shah and The Count of Monte Christo and Other Tales by Elizabeth Laird. They said that both books “use narrative to explore the way in which our identities shape and inform our experiences.”
In the category of Southeast Asian short film, “Vania on Lima Street” by Bayu Prihantoro Filemon won best picture, while Bopha Oul in Polen Ly’s “Further and Further Away” won best performance. The organisers of the Singapore prize said that they chose the films because they were “inspiring and uplifting”. They also praised the directors for their commitment to telling “remarkable stories about the people of Singapore.” In keeping with the sustainability theme of this year’s ceremony, William wore an old dark green blazer by Alexander McQueen while Donnie Yen wore a suit by Stella McCartney.