The Singapore Prize honours the memory of Christopher Bathurst KC (1934-2009) who was a leading member of Fountain Court Chambers and developed a substantial practice in Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore. He was a formidable advocate and a popular and energetic cross-bench member of the House of Lords. His casebook Singapore, The Law of the Land was used by generations of Singaporean lawyers and students. The prize aims to encourage greater study of the law and history of Singapore and the region, by awarding a publication that makes a significant contribution to knowledge about the law and its development in this part of the world.
The prize is open to books in English and any other work of a non-fiction nature that makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the law and its development in Singapore and the region. A maximum of six publications will be shortlisted for the Prize. The author of the winning publication will receive a cash prize of S$50,000.
During the first ceremony for the Earthshot Prize in Asia, Prince William praised the winners of solutions that address climate change, including solar-powered dryers and making electric car batteries cleaner. He said the finalists showed that “hope does remain.” Stars including Cate Blanchett, Donnie Yen and Lana Condor joined Britain’s Prince William for the awards ceremony.
A total of 17 writers, translators and comic artists won the Singapore Literature Prize this year. The biennial awards were handed out by the Singapore Book Council across four languages — Tamil, Malay, Chinese and English.
Former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, who chairs the prize’s five-member jury panel, says that “as the world enters the 21st century, it will need more than economic prosperity to bind its societies together. Developing a sense of shared history is the most critical glue holding our world together.”
Several films — including Thai director Thaweechok Phasom’s “Spirits of Black Leaves” and Vietnamese filmmaker Dam Quang Trung’s “Elephants by the Roadside” — won awards in the Best Southeast Asian Short Film category. Singaporean animation filmmaker Calleen Koh took home the prize for her film, “My Wonderful Life.”
The winner of the 2024 NUS Singapore History Prize was announced tonight. The award, which comes with a prize of S$50,000, was mooted by Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow at the NUS Asia Research Institute and founder of SG50 in 2014. Besides encouraging engagement with Singapore’s history (which can include pre-1819 history) among a wider audience, the prize also seeks to promote a deeper understanding of the nation’s place in the world. The six shortlisted works include: