Prince William will meet five finalists and winners of the Earthshot Prize during his four-day visit to Singapore next month, which honors entrepreneurs creating environmental solutions. Inspired by US President John F Kennedy’s 1962 “moonshot” challenge to reach the moon, the prize aims to provide practical solutions within 10 years for global challenges such as planting trees in Liberia or less carbon intensive methods of treating wastewater treatment plants. This year’s finalists range from digital tree-planting applications in Liberia, to proposals to treat industrial wastewater differently, among others.
These awards celebrate not only athletes, but coaches, administrators and others who have made outstanding contributions to Singapore sports development. Winners receive cash payments based on major Games event they won and medal total. Athletes must donate 20% of their MAP award winnings back to their National Sports Associations as training or development funds.
Kishore Mahbubani, senior advisor of university and global relations at NUS, suggested there could be plans to broaden the category of works that qualify for this prize, such as movies, comics and other forms. He pointed to 12 Years A Slave which won Best Picture Oscar 2014 as an example.
John Miksic won the inaugural National University of Singapore History Prize with his work entitled Singapore And The Silk Road Of The Sea, 1300-1800 which utilizes archaeological research to shed light on Singapore’s pre-colonial past and disproves the widely held belief that Singapore history began with Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival in 1793.
NUS science and technology experts were among those awarded this year with President’s Science and Technology Awards, first bestowed upon them back in 2009. These accolades serve as Singapore’s highest honour for scientists and engineers and recognize their contributions towards ensuring research excellence while building an excellent pool of scientific talent across the nation.
Since their inception, these awards have taken various forms since being first presented. Formerly known as the National Science and Technology Awards before being rebranded in 2017, prizes are presented during an awards ceremony held at President’s Office.
The Singapore Prize design draws its inspiration from Singapore’s cultural heritage, featuring both Eastern and Western aesthetics. It features a four-lobed artifice with rediating lines superimposed over a cross of swords. The medal itself weighs 57 grams. On its reverse, this prize bears the inscription: “SINGAPORE PRIZE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY”. Starting March 1st, Singapore Pools’ website will offer public purchases at $1,300 each for this engraved medallion with one chance out of eleven of winning the award. The inaugural draw will take place on April 29, with further draws scheduled on May 23 and June 20 respectively. Winners will be notified via mail upon the results of each drawing; prizes will only be shipped directly to their registered addresses in Singapore. A final drawing will be held on August 31; winning entries will then be displayed at the Singapore Expo from October 2022 until January 2020.