The Singapore Prize is an award given annually to the best work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry published in the national languages of Singapore. The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000. The prize is awarded by the National Book Development Council of Singapore.
The 2018 prize received submissions from around the world, and the shortlist featured a variety of topics that are relevant to Singapore, including the effects of climate change, the global refugee crisis, social inequality, and how to deal with conflict in modern society. The winning entry, titled The Redemption of the Devil, is a novel that follows the story of an Indonesian Muslim prisoner of war, who attempts to escape his captors with the help of his friend, a Muslim cleric.
A stacked apartment complex designed by Singapore’s OMA and German architect Ole Scheeren has won the 2024 World Architecture Festival (WAF). Kampung Admiralty is the latest in a series of community or public buildings to win the award, which is regarded as one of the most prestigious in the field of architecture. Other examples include a post-earthquake reconstruction project in China’s Yunnan province, an extension to the National Museum of Szczecin in Poland, and OMA’s Interlace in Singapore.
The prize is named after Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who championed the use of water resources and developed a system to manage the city-state’s water supply. Its judges cited the need to address growing global water scarcity as the driving force behind their decision to honor the winners.
In keeping with the prize’s sustainability theme, William wore a 10-year-old dark green blazer by Alexander McQueen and walked on a “green carpet.” He was joined by other presenters, including actor Sterling K. Brown and South African actress Mbatha Mokgosi, who both wore navy blue dresses by Stella McCartney, known for her eco-friendly clothing line.
The winner was announced on Tuesday at a ceremony in Singapore. Britain’s Prince William, whose foundation launched the prize in 2020, said the solutions highlighted by all 15 finalists demonstrated that “hope does remain” even as we continue to see the devastating effects of climate change. The prize also honored a maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace, and groups that work to make electric car batteries cleaner and restore Andean forests. The prize also gave recognition to an ocean conservation project and a global anti-trafficking initiative.