The Singapore Prize for History and Culture at NUS Press
The Singapore prize was established in memory of Christopher Bathurst KC, Viscount Bledisloe, who died in 2009. He was a leading member of Fountain Court Chambers and developed a substantial practice in Asia, including Singapore. He was also a respected teacher and public speaker. The prize is a biennial award for the best work of non-fiction in English, Mandarin or Tamil on Singapore’s history or culture.
The Department of History at NUS launched the prize in 2014 to spur interest in and understanding of Singapore’s history. It also aims to make the complexities and nuances of Singapore’s history more accessible to non-academic audiences, as well as to encourage greater discussion on Singapore’s place in the world.
NUS Press has produced six works in the running for this year’s Singapore prize, which is open to non-fiction and historical fiction. The shortlist includes a book on the life of an average Singaporean family, which eschews the notion of history as a record of big movers and shakers. Another book, by Kamaladevi Aravindan, looks at life in an estate across five decades.
Besides books, the prize also recognises multimedia works like films and comics. This is a trend that reflects the growing importance of social innovations and their role in addressing key societal challenges. This is especially the case in Asia, where a number of countries are seeing growth in their philanthropy sector.
The philanthropic ecosystem here is gaining momentum and attracting more high-net worth individuals, with some even setting up their own foundations to support causes they care about. This is a welcome development as it can help increase the impact of philanthropy and drive positive change. However, many challenges still remain, particularly for the social entrepreneurs and changemakers working on grassroots issues in Singapore and across the region.
In addition to funding, the philanthropic ecosystem also needs to develop the right infrastructure and networks to promote the sector and foster good practices. This includes establishing a common database of organisations and donors, building capacity amongst grant-makers, and providing mentorship opportunities for new social entrepreneurs.
This year’s prize, which was launched on 12 August, is worth $2.3 million and will be awarded to winning teams in 12 categories. The top team will take home $3 million, while the second place winner will receive $1.5 million. The third-placed team will receive $500,000. Customers can use the calculator on the Singapore Pools website to determine their prize amounts. The calculator is based on the total prize amount and the number of winning tickets sold, as reported by the lottery operator. There is a one-in-eleven chance of winning a prize in any Singapore Pools draw. Those who have won are required to bring their Singapore Pools mobile app account details and original photo identification document (NRIC for Singaporean/PR or passport for foreigners) to claim their prizes at Singapore Pools main branch. Customers with E-Tickets are required to submit their claim request by 3pm on the day of the draw.