Prince William Visits Singapore to Unveil the Singapore Prize
The winner of the Singapore Prize will receive $3 million. The second place team will take home $1.5 million. The third-place team will win $500,000. The prize money is a fraction of the total prize pool, which also includes cash prizes, trophies and medals, and state decorations. The prize is part of the Enterprise 50 Awards programme, which was launched in 1995. It recognises local, privately held companies that contribute to economic development in Singapore and abroad.
The heir to the British throne, Prince William, attended a gala ceremony in Singapore on Oct 2, 2023, to unveil the Earthshot Prize, an award his foundation and the United Kingdom’s Environment Agency are giving out to promote innovative solutions to climate change. The event was hosted by actors Hannah Waddingham and Sterling K. Brown and featured performances by bands One Republic and Bastille and US singer Bebe Rexha. It was held at the state-owned Media Corp of Singapore theatre and attended by a number of celebrities, including Malaysian actress Yen and South African actor Mbatha. William, a sportsman, also tried his hand at dragon boating and saw how organisations in the country were working to tackle the global illegal trade in wildlife products that is estimated to be worth $20 billion annually.
He also visited the National University of Singapore (NUS), which was founded in 1636 and is considered to be one of the world’s top universities, with 48 Nobel Laureates among its alumni. The university is famous for its research and innovation. Its science and technology awards are given to scientists who have made significant contributions to Singapore.
In addition, the NUS Prize Book honours outstanding undergraduate students for their academic achievements and exemplary personal conduct. The prize is presented to students who have passed the final examination for the Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial and Systems Engineering) degree with a GPA of at least 4.0 and have demonstrated an outstanding record of extra-curricular activities or public service in Singapore during their undergraduate period.
Those who want to learn more about the NUS Prize can do so here. Its organisers are currently discussing plans to expand the type of works that can qualify for the prize, so that it can include non-academic work such as movies and comics that may have a greater impact than written books.
NUS historian Kishore Mahbubani, who chairs the prize committee, said that they could also extend the eligibility to cover more of Singapore’s history by looking at “stories from everyday life” rather than just focusing on big movers and shakers in historical accounts. “We will look at this because if you look at the way that history is being told, it’s no longer just books. It’s in movies, it’s in games and even in songs,” he said. “So we will have to see how we can expand the prize as well.” NUS History professor John Miksic, a member of the jury for this year’s prize, also pointed out that there is still a lot of Singapore history to be told.