As part of the celebrations for Singapore’s 50th anniversary of independence, a new prize has been created in support of the country’s history. The NUS Singapore History Prize is open to works of fiction and non-fiction from around the world that focus on the city’s unique heritage. The winner will receive a cash prize of $50,000.

The inaugural prize was mooted by Kishore Mahbubani, a Distinguished Fellow at the NUS Asia Research Institute and dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. In a column in the Straits Times, he suggested that a prize devoted to Singapore’s history would promote engagement with and understanding of its rich past, and help shape the future. The idea was picked up by the National University of Singapore’s History Department, and a prize has now been launched.

Six works have been shortlisted for this year’s NUS Singapore History Prize, which aims to stimulate engagement with Singapore’s history “broadly understood”, make the nuances of its past more accessible, and generate greater understanding among citizens, a university press release says. The shortlist includes a book that focuses on the 1950s, when the country’s future seemed to be up for grabs, as well as a novel by Kamaladevi Aravindan that details life in an estate over five decades.

In 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic raged, Singapore began testing wastewater for signs of the virus, mirroring the approach taken by many other countries at the time. That was thanks to the work of a microbiologist, Professor Gertjan Medema, who had pioneered wastewater-based epidemiology and proved that traces of the virus in drinking water can be detected by monitoring wastewater for the disease’s metabolites. Medema won this year’s Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, which recognises individuals or organisations that have made significant contributions to solving global water challenges.

Celebrities including Cate Blanchett, Donnie Yen, Lana Condor and Nomzano Mbatha walked a green carpet at the third annual Earthshot awards ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday, where Prince William spotlighted winners whose innovation projects tackle nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change. The prince said the solutions exhibited by all 15 finalists offered hope that humans could address these challenges. The event was held at the state-owned Media Corp theater. Prince William wore a 10-year-old dark green suit by Alexander McQueen for the occasion, in line with the sustainability theme. The ceremony also featured performances by the bands One Republic and Bastille, with the singer Bebe Rexha taking the stage at the end of the evening. The award ceremony was broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube. The prizes were awarded by the Singapore government’s President’s Science and Technology Awards (PSTA) agency. The event was sponsored by the Temasek Foundation. For more information, see the PSTA website.