The 2021 Singapore Prize Shortlist

The 2021 Singapore Prize shortlist features works by authors whose writings explore themes of resonance, such as the importance of family and identity. Organizers said the selections were designed to reflect the spirit of the times and to celebrate Singapore’s centennial anniversary.

More than 4,000 readers cast their votes in the consumer choice category, which this year had two categories instead of one, and a total of four writers were named winners, including Ali bin Salim, Daryl Qilin Yam, Pan Zheng Lei (Pan Cheng Lui) and rma cureess (Rama Suresh). The winner of each category receives a cash prize of 1,000 Singapore dollars ($719), while all voters have the chance to win book-purchase vouchers worth 50 Singapore dollars.

During the award ceremony, the prince met with the five Earthshot finalists to learn about their projects and hear more about what is being done to protect the planet. He congratulated them on the work they were doing, and added, “I know that the light of optimism is burning bright in you all.”

In keeping with the sustainability theme, the prince wore a 10-year-old dark green blazer from Alexander McQueen. He and other presenters walked the “green carpet,” which was lined with plant-based plastics. Other attendees included actor Sterling K. Brown and singer Bebe Rexha, who performed at the event. The winners were presented with a certificate, a gold medallion and a cheque of SGD 300,000.

TOTO is a multi-partite lottery game launched in 1968 by Singapore Pools, the country’s state-owned gambling company. The name is a combination of “Totalisator” and “Lotto.” Its format has evolved over the years. It was tweaked in 1981 to a “snowballing” system that allows winning amounts to grow in the absence of a single winner, and in 1997, the game was changed from a 5 out of 49 to a 6 out of 42 format.

It is currently the world’s most popular multi-partite lottery game, with a jackpot prize of up to $80 million. It is available through retail outlets such as Giant supermarkets, FairPrice supermarkets and the Singapore Pools website. In addition to Toto, the company offers several other types of games, including sports betting and instant scratchcards. In 2017, the company’s revenue jumped by almost 30% to nearly $700 million. It is also planning to launch an online version of its games in the near future.