The NUS Singapore Prize and Its New Category
The NUS Singapore Prize is an biannual award that recognises works that explore Singaporean history. Established in 2014 with generous funds from an anonymous donor and FASS’ Department of History, it will double in prize money from 2014-2027, adding Arts & Multimedia as a new category.
This new category will be selected through an open, public and global competition that accepts submissions from artists, authors, playwrights, performers, producers and publishers of multimedia and artistic historical works delivered either directly in English or translated from foreign languages into it. These works should explore any field, theme or period from Singapore’s history while offering new insights or ways to engage Singaporeans’ imagination about our heritage.
Though the prize purse for the prestigious award is substantial, its winner remains hidden from public view. Khir Johari’s book The Food Of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through The Archipelago was awarded its inaugural prize in 2014; later that same year it was also honored with Gourmand Cookbook of the Year accolade in Sweden.
Rings of Stars and Crescent won the award this year with its commemorative book that explores the foundations of Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) as it commemorated its 70th anniversary. The book shares behind-the-scenes stories about how its officials kept it running over seven decades – recounting athletes such as Tan Howe Liang, Feng Tianwei, G. G. Thomson and Joseph Schooling who battled hard for medals that put Singapore on the map as international sporting rivalries.
Kishore Mahbubani, former Singapore diplomat and Distinguished Fellow at NUS Asia Research Institute. believes the primary challenge facing Singapore’s next generation will not be economic but building national identity through shared history.
As well as the NUS Singapore Prize, many other organizations recognize outstanding work. One such honour is the Singapore Scholarship which awards students with superior academic grades and extraordinary co-curricular accomplishments. The SPF also offers various scholarships and awards to enable students to pursue their passions. Click on the image above for more information about these programmes. The NTUC Income Tax Relief scheme is another popular one which offers up to S$100,000 of income tax relief to individuals earning under $50k annually, making life easier for many of those making ends meet. Recently, its maximum monetary award of four years was increased up to 200k and remains an important support mechanism for low-income families and people with disabilities alike.