The Singapore Prize is an annual literary award presented to an outstanding book published in Singapore. The prize recognizes authors whose works best embody its spirit and values; 17 authors, translators and comic artists received awards in four different languages this year – Marylyn Tan was awarded with English literature prize for her debut collection Gaze Back which tackles taboo subjects from menstruation to sexuality; this marks the first time a woman has won it!
The 2024 competition welcomed works written or translated in English that explored any period, region or field of history with an historical focus and that covered any period, region or field. The winning entry would best illuminate and advance our knowledge about Singapore’s development as a unique global citizen.
Last night at the Singapore Prize was an evening of firsts: Shelly Bryant became the first female writer ever to win in English Poetry; Marylyn Tan received the inaugural English Novel award; while Jeremy Tiang won English Translation Prize for his translation work of Zhang Yueran’s Cocoon which explores dark secrets between childhood friends during China’s Cultural Revolution.
This year’s Singapore Prize saw 17 writers, translators and comic artists honored across four categories in its 2019 edition. Winners were announced during a ceremony hosted by the National Arts Council on Monday. Prize chairman Kishore Mahbubani noted that winners have displayed works that have been “outstanding in their own way” while contributing to a better understanding of Singapore history and identity.
The winners of the Singapore Prize will each receive a cash prize of $100,000 and have the chance to present their works at a special event. Additionally, members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite book from each category for a chance at $50 worth of book vouchers – this year’s Readers’ Favourite was held alongside National Library Board’s Readers’ Favourite program, receiving over two-hundred submissions – an increase of 30% since 2018. Judges included Esplanade communications and content head Clarissa Oon for English creative non-fiction submissions while Cultural Medallion recipient Khir Johari would judge Malay fiction submissions.