The winner of the 2023 Singapore Prize will receive a cash prize of S$50,000, plus a trophy and a gift code for audiobook platform Storytel. The prize was established in 2021 to stimulate engagement with Singapore’s history broadly understood (this might include pre-1819 work as well as works dealing with the nation’s place in the world), and to cast a wide net to consider a diverse range of non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama. The work that wins the prize must also contribute to a better understanding of Singapore’s unique history among its citizens.

Unlike some other literary awards, the Singapore Prize is open to authors of all nationalities and backgrounds. This year’s shortlist includes four novels and two graphic novels, as well as a memoir and a work of creative nonfiction. The selection was made by a panel of judges, including Kishore Mahbubani, the chairman of the NUS Board and senior advisor to the university’s vice president, and a group of scholars familiar with Singapore’s history and culture.

This year’s winners will be honoured at the award ceremony in Boston on December 2022. The prize is supported by philanthropic organisation Temasek Trust, investment company Temasek, decarbonisation investment platform GenZero, and environmental charity Conservation International. Temasek Trust chief executive Desmond Kuek said the partnership aimed to “accelerate [the winners’] solutions and bring about tangible action to heal our planet”.

For the first time, the ceremony will be part of Earthshot Week, which starts on November 6 and invites global leaders, businesses, and investors to convene in Singapore with the prize winners and finalists to explore ventures that can help speed up their plans to fix the planet. The event will also feature performances by “world-renowned” musicians and artists, although organisers have not yet revealed who they are. Previous editions of the ceremony have featured performers such as Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.

A man from Tamil Nadu has won a prize money of 18,888 Singapore dollars ($11.5 lakh approximately) in an event organised by a company playing games inspired by Squid Game, minus the deadly stakes. The games were designed to improve the mental and physical health of workers. The company also provides a mobile app to help workers track their stress levels. The prize was announced at a recent press conference in Singapore. The winnings will be used to pay for medical treatments and improve the quality of life of the workers.