Day: March 25, 2025

The Singapore Prize is an annual award presented by Harvard Club of Singapore to recognize individuals and organisations for their contributions to society. Recipients receive an engraved plaque, prize book and cash prize of S$25,000; intended as an inspiration to pre-tertiary students to strive higher, the prize book includes stories of how Harvard alumni in Singapore have made an impactful difference within their community.

The inaugural award ceremony for this Prize took place in London in 2021, followed by another in Boston last year with 15 winners across five categories – among them were an Indian manufacturer of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace, and groups working towards cleaner car batteries, protecting Andean forests, and deterring illegal fishing activities.

This year’s competition marked the introduction of a new category for English comic or graphic novels, and Cockman (2022) from self-publisher was awarded first prize as its inaugural entry. Critics noted its “over-the-top audacity and absurdity”, noting its “total lack of seriousness and compromise”.

Peter Ellinger of National University of Singapore Professor Emeritus won first prize with Down Memory Lane: The Memoirs Of A Literary Historian (2023). Poet and translator Jeremy Tiang took second prize with Cocoon (2022), in which two childhood friends share secrets related to their families’ involvement in the Cultural Revolution.

In 2024, Singapore introduced a History Prize as part of its celebration and to enhance understanding of its past. Conceived by Kishore Mahbubani of NUS Asia Research Institute and Director of NUS Department of History. This prize seeks to promote engagement with all aspects of Singapore history before 1819 as well as making Singaporean history more approachable and understandable for non-academic audiences.

Finally, the prize book served to recognize two young people whose care for others went above and beyond expectations. Harrison from Institute of Technical Education College Central (ITE), and Si Min from SMU Koufu campus shared stories about how they helped strangers during the Covid-19 pandemic; these accounts will also be published in the Prize book.

At Mediacorp Theatre on Tuesday evening, the winners of this prize will be honored during a ceremony hosted by Prince William of his Royal Foundation charity and launched it back in 2020. Other recipients of awards will include Indian makers of solar-powered dryers; an organizer of a soil carbon marketplace; as well as groups working towards cleaner car batteries, restoring Andean forests and discouraging illegal fishing. The ceremony will air live on Mediacorp Channel 5. Finalists were selected from over 150 entries submitted to Mediacorp by a panel of judges.