The glitzy awards ceremony was held in Singapore, where the prize’s emcee and winners walked a “green carpet.” The winner, British author Rajeev Patke, received a stipend of S$25,000 for his work. The other shortlisted authors each received S$15,000 for their works.
The prize is the first in Singapore to be dedicated exclusively to history and was set up in 2014. Its founder, former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, said that the 21st century would be the “Asian Century,” and that it is important for Singaporeans to understand their nation’s past.
A total of six books have been shortlisted for the NUS Singapore History Prize, which was established in 2014 as the first prize devoted to the country’s history. They are: Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Glam, by Hidayah Ibrahim; Getting Real About the Economy, by Wesley Leon Aroozoo; The Comfort Women of Singapore in History and Memory, by Khir Johari; The Great Asian Renaissance, by Kevin Blackburn; and Into a Blue Garden, by Timothy P. Barnard.
The NUS award comes just ahead of the third annual Earthshot awards in November, which will be hosted by Singapore this year. The prizes, created by Prince William, ‘will award catalytic funds to help scale up the best solutions and accelerate them into action.’ The event will be attended by global leaders, businesses and investors, including a number of the five TEP winners.
This year, students from schools across Singapore have been invited to participate in the competition. Students must be nominated by their teachers and submit artwork online before the deadline. There will also be a judges prize awarded to the student with the most impressive submission. The winning student artist will receive a cash prize of S$1,400 and their school will be awarded S$3,000.
There are some restrictions on what kind of works can qualify for the NUS prize. Book-length works authored or co-authored and written in English are eligible, as well as creative works with clear historical themes. However, the prizes’ organisers say that they hope to expand the type of works that can win in future.
Despite the sulk, NUS’ senior advisor (university and global relations) Kishore Mahbubani says that there might be plans to introduce the prize to non-fiction works such as movies and comics. “History is sometimes told more effectively through fiction and other formats,” he said.
The NUS Singapore History Prize is the only one in Asia that is dedicated to history. It is administered by the Department of History at NUS and is funded by an anonymous donor. The prize’s distinguished Jury Panel comprises leading historians and academics from around the world. Its members have published extensively in the field of Singapore and Southeast Asia. The panel is chaired by Associate Professor Joey Long of NUS’ Department of History. The other members are Foo Hai Fellow in Buddhist Studies Dr Jack Meng-Tat Chia of NUS; senior curator Ms Jean Tay; and educator Dr Angeline Yeo. The prize’s founding donors include the National Research Foundation and several private individuals.