Singapore Prize 2019 Winners Announced
The Singapore prize, first mooted by NUS historian Prof Kishore Mahbubani in a 2014 column for the Straits Times, is awarded to publications that make a long-lasting impact on Singaporeans’ understanding of their nation’s history. Its inaugural winner this year was archaeologist John Miksic’s book Singapore And The Silk Road Of The Sea, 1300 – 1800. The prize is administered by the Department of History and is given every three years.
This year’s shortlisted books include Seven Hundred Years: A History Of Singapore (2019) by Kwa Chong Guan, Tan Tai Yong, Peter Borschberg and Derek Heng; Sembawang (2020) by Kamaladevi Aravindan; State Of Emergency (2017) by Jeremy Tiang; and Home Is Where We Are (2021).
A total of 14 winning tickets were purchased at outlets including Giant supermarket in Pioneer Mall and FairPrice in the Woodleigh Mall. The tickets are valued at more than $13 million, with a prize of $127,391 per share. Those who are interested in winning the jackpot prize can visit Singapore Pools outlets including the ones at Chinatown Point or the online lottery portal.
The prize money will go to the first and second winners in each of the categories. The first prize is worth $25,000 while the second prize is $50,000. The third and fourth prizes are $10,000 each.
Meira Chand, Suchen Christine Lim and Malay dance veteran Osman Abdul Hamid are among those conferred the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s most prestigious arts award. The award was handed out at a ceremony at the Istana on Tuesday. The other recipients are film director Ang Lee, visual artist Ho Tsun-Kwan and choreographer Jade Chye.
This is the fifth time that the award has been presented to a local arts practitioner, and the first time in its new category. The award recognises inspiring local artists who display professional maturity in their practice through a distinctive body of work. It also reflects their contributions to enriching Singapore’s arts scene, the website said.
132 local artists have been conferred the Cultural Medallion since it was launched in 1988, the Singapore government’s media release said. They include acclaimed filmmakers such as Ho Tsun-Kwan and Ang Lee, as well as theatre artists such as Lim Shau Yin and Tan Kheng Hua.
In golf, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann leads the 2024 LIV Golf season standings by a shot from Spain’s Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, with Dustin Johnson in third place. The next event is this week at Sentosa Golf Club, the tour’s seventh Singapore stop. This will be the final tournament before the tour heads to the US for the PGA Championship at Augusta National Golf Club on April 25-30. The top-10 players will win the $10 million prize money on offer. The rest of the purse will be distributed amongst the other 72 players.