SINGAPORE – Whether it is a book that chronicles the evolution of Singapore’s cuisine or a biography of a renowned lawyer, this year’s singapore prize saw many outstanding works vie for top honours. The President’s Science and Technology Award (PSTA) recognises individuals and organisations that have made remarkable contributions to push the boundaries of research and innovation in Singapore. It is one of the three prizes that make up the annual singapore prize.
The PSTA was launched in 1998 to acknowledge the achievements of scientists and technologists based in Singapore who have made significant contributions to humanity through their research and development work. The awards are a joint effort by the Singapore National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Foundation. The prizes are not intended to be a ranking of scientists, but rather an indicator of the strength and depth of scientific research and innovation in Singapore.
One of the prizes — the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize — is aimed at addressing the world’s most pressing water challenges by promoting innovative technologies, policies or programmes that have the potential to significantly benefit humanity. The award is named after the late Singapore founder, in recognition of his vision for a sustainable water supply and of his contribution towards the global community’s efforts to tackle the world’s water issues.
The other prize, the Singapore Literature Prize, is a biennial award that recognises published works of fiction in any of Singapore’s four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. Previously, there was a separate award for poetry and fiction, but this year, the literature prize unified the two categories to recognise the best in both genres.
This year, the judges chose the book The Food of Singapore Malays by Khir Johari as the winner, which beat five other shortlisted titles to take home the $50,000 cash prize. A 3.2kg tome that took 14 years to complete, it “is a richly illustrated book that provides an engaging and evocative reading experience of the archipelago”, the judges said in a statement.
It was a momentous day for violinists Dmytro Udovychenko, Anna Agafia Egholm and Angela Sin Ying Chan at the Singapore International Violin Competition 2022, held at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music on Dec 14. The trio have won multiple concert engagements and multiple cash prizes worth USD $110,000, which includes the grand prize of USD $100,000.
A man in his 40s who did not want to be identified told CNA that he stops by the arcade about once a week and spends about half an hour playing games. He said the prize money doesn’t mean much to him, as he usually aims for small prizes such as collectable cards.
