Founded in 1968, the TOTO lottery game is one of the most famous games in Singapore. Launched by the Singapore Pools company, the game has since evolved from a simple ‘5-out-of-49’ format with a fixed prize to the current ‘6-out-of-45’ and a jackpot prize guaranteed at $300,000 – with over $800 million awarded as prizes in its 50-year history.
The Singapore Literary Prize is one of the most prestigious home-grown literary awards that recognises published works in Singapore’s four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. This year, organisers introduced three new categories for translators, comic-book authors and debut writers, giving more home-grown talent a chance to win the top award.
In a move to boost transparency and public support for the winners, this year’s SLP also launched a Readers’ Favorite exercise in which readers can vote online for their favorite shortlisted title. The results of the Readers’ Favorite will be unveiled at a ceremony later this month.
Prince William, the founder of the Earthshot prize, arrived in Singapore on Tuesday for its third annual awards ceremony – the first to be held in Asia. He said the finalists, including an Indian maker of solar-powered dryers and groups working to make electric car batteries cleaner, restore Andean forests and deter illegal fishing, showed that “hope remains” despite the global impacts of climate change.
Those on the shortlist were chosen by a jury comprising novelist Meira Chand; economist Lam San Ling; historian Peter Coclanis and archaeologist John Miksic, from the NUS Asia Research Institute. Ms Hidayah, whose book is set in the historic Gedung Kuning district of Kampong Glam, spent five years putting it together, including two to three years interviewing former residents.
This year, the prize also recognised a total of five ‘Earthshot Leaders’ – which was announced in November – who have demonstrated significant business leadership and impact. Each will receive a catalytic grant of $1 million to scale their environmental solutions.
The other winners included non-profit organisation Caregivers Alliance and commercial cleaning firm Speco Singapore. They were given the awards for their efforts to promote sustainability in their industries and help their customers and staff adopt sustainable habits.
The awards ceremony was hosted by Singapore’s Media Corp, which organised it in partnership with the British Embassy in Singapore and Eco-Business Initiatives. It was televised live on Channel 5 and streamed online. The ceremony was attended by VIPs and celebrities, including singer Yen and actor Mbatha, both of whom wore recycled clothing. Yen wore a dark green blazer from the label Alexander McQueen, while Mbatha opted for a gown by Stella McCartney, known for her environmentally friendly designs. The winners will be honoured at the upcoming Singapore Prize gala dinner. For more information, visit the website here.