Singapore Book Prize 2025
The prize recognises outstanding published works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry in Chinese, English and Malay. The top 12 winners receive cash prizes of up to $10,000 each, and also earn the honour of being named Singapore Book Prize 2025 finalists.
The competition was launched in 2014 by an anonymous donor and has been given annually since then. The prize is based on the belief that a strong sense of national identity lies at the heart of a resilient and successful future for Singapore, and the best way to foster that identity is to understand its rich history.
In this spirit, the Prize seeks to recognise works that are accessible to a broad audience and inspire them with new insights into our nation’s history. To this end, the prize money has been doubled in 2025 and a new Arts and Multimedia category added. This will alternate with the existing Book Prize each year over a six-year cycle, starting from 2027.
To encourage more athletes to pursue their dreams of winning an Olympic medal, the Singapore National Olympic Council in the 1990s devised an incentive scheme that provides cash payouts to athletes who win medals at the Olympics and other major international games. This is in addition to the already well-established Sports Development Fund which provides cash incentives to athletes who win medals at the regional and Asian games.
During his address, the winner of the Christopher Bathurst Prize, who is studying for a PhD in Philosophy at Oxford University, called for a “smart, compassionate and courageous Singapore” that would tackle climate change and the world’s growing inequalities. He also urged the audience to support sustainable initiatives and to join ST’s Telegram channel to get breaking news on environmental issues in Singapore.
To commemorate the life of former Supreme Court judge and legal luminary Christopher Bathurst QC, the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) and Fountain Court Chambers will be awarding the Christopher Bathurst Prize every year from 2022 to 2029. The competition is open to all law students, and aims to nurture young legal minds by giving them an avenue to explore the interplay of law, society and justice from a uniquely Singapore perspective.
The prizes will be presented in October at a special ceremony at SAL, where the winning entries will be exhibited. The top three will be selected by a distinguished jury panel, chaired by the former ambassador and Distinguished Fellow at the NUS Asia Research Institute, Kishore Mahbubani.
Runners-up will receive certificates. The winner will be awarded a trophy and a cash prize of $20,000 to cover travel expenses. The runner-ups will receive $12,000 each, and the third place finisher will be awarded $5,000. All prizes are subject to tax deductions, where applicable. Winnings of less than 5,000 can be claimed at any retail venue that offers Singapore pools, while those over 5,000 must be collected from the SAL main office. The deadline for claiming prizes is 180 days after the draw.