A maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace and groups that make electric car batteries cleaner, restore Andean forests and deter illegal fishing are among the winners of this year’s Singapore Prize. At a ceremony in the city-state Tuesday, Britain’s Prince William said the solutions presented by all 15 finalists demonstrated that “hope does remain” as climate change’s devastating impacts are felt worldwide. The 10th edition of the prize, run by the United Nations Foundation and the National Geographic Society, was handed out by Singapore’s Economic Development Board. Its citation noted the winners were chosen “because they can scale their impact at the global, regional or local level to address some of the most urgent problems in our world.”
A book that explores the lives of Chinese and Malay traders in Singapore’s past has won this year’s triennial NUS Singapore History Prize. The judges praised the work of author Khir Johari for bringing “new insights into the history of Singapore’s early maritime trade.”
Khir Johari was given the prize, worth $50,000, for his richly illustrated opus titled The Food of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through The Archipelago. His tome, which took 14 years from conception to publication and weighs 3.2kg, beat five other shortlisted works that were published in the last three years.
The book is based on primary sources, including documents, oral histories and photographs. It also discusses the influence of ancient trading networks on Singapore’s early economy and culture. The citation described the work as “elegantly crafted and meticulously researched.”
It is the third time that a Singapore-based historian has won the prize. Last year, Professor John Miksic won the prize for his work Singapore And The Silk Road Of The Sea: 1300 – 1800. He described the work as a “fundamental reinterpretation” of Singapore’s history.
This year, the prize was open to book-length nonfiction and fiction with clear historical themes, as well as creative works such as films and plays. It was aimed at promoting engagement with Singapore’s history, which was defined as any work dealing with the nation’s pre-1819 history or its place in Asia.
The jury was led by Kishore Mahbubani, a distinguished fellow at the NUS Asia Research Institute. It also included Prof Miksic; Prof Tan Tai Yong, president of the Singapore University of Social Sciences; and Prof Peter A. Coclanis, director of the Global Research Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The judges were assisted by a Nominating Committee comprising academics and museum curators. The prize is administered by NUS’ Department of History and sponsored by the Economic Development Board. It is the only scholarly award in Singapore to focus on the theme of “living heritage.” It was first awarded in 1992. Since its inception, the prize has recognised 43 writers across 12 categories in Singapore’s four languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. It is one of the few literary awards in the world to be presented on a biennial basis.