The annual sgp prize honours writers from diverse backgrounds who have contributed to Singapore’s literary scene. This year, 224 submissions were received, a 30 per cent increase from 2018. The prizes were announced on Thursday during the Young Scientists Quickfire Pitch session at GYSS 2024. This year’s winners include Straits Times journalist Akshita Nanda for English fiction, speculative short story collection Lion City by Ng Yi-Sheng and SG50-centric novel Kian Kok by Chia Joo Ming. Writers also clinched the top spot for English creative non-fiction, Chinese fiction and Malay fiction with their respective works. Other winners included Pulp II: A Visual Bibliography Of The Banished Book by Shubigi Rao, the second volume of her work on book destruction and a merit prize for her work in English non-fiction.
During the awards ceremony, Prince William praised the winning entrepreneurs in the categories of nature protection, clean air, ocean revival and waste elimination for proving that “hope remains” as we confront some of the planet’s most urgent environmental challenges. He referred to John F. Kennedy’s “moonshot” speech of 1962, which inspired him and the other award finalists to seek breakthrough solutions to protect the environment.
Other winners include a maker of solar-powered dryers and a soil carbon marketplace, a group that restores Andean forests and helps deter illegal fishing, and a global non-profit that works with law enforcement agencies to bolster wildlife conservation and fight the illegal trade in animal products. A total of 15 finalists won the Earthshot Prize, which was launched by Britain’s Prince William through his Royal Foundation charity in 2020.
The 2024 prize winner will receive a cash award of S$50,000 and a trophy, and the work will be published by Epigram Books. The judges were drawn from the Singapore Literature Association’s pool of senior writers and industry experts, including Esplanade communications and content head Clarissa Oon for English creative non-fiction, Cultural Medallion recipient KTM Iqbal for Malay literature and UNESCO Stockholm Junior Water Prize winner Sithuraj Ponraj for Tamil poetry.
The Department of History at NUS is organising the prize competition in conjunction with its 50th anniversary, to recognise works that contribute to the understanding and appreciation of Singapore’s history. The 2024 NUS History Prize is open to book-length publications in English on any time period, theme or field of Singaporean history. It is worth S$50,000, and is supported by the National Heritage Board. Other categories will include a biography, academic research, travel writing, art criticism, and a work of fiction. The deadline for entries is 10 May. More information is available here.
