Unlike some other book awards that can run into the hundreds of categories, Singapore’s biennial prize for literature features only 49 titles, which work in four languages. Organizers say that the smaller pool of submissions this year is due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent reduction in travel and other activities. The prize celebrates literature with a resonance that can provoke emotions and memories.
Author and researcher Hidayah Amin won the prize this year for her study of Kampong Gelam, a historical neighborhood in central Singapore. Using archaeology and other sources, she offers a broad picture of the area’s social and economic history over three centuries. The prize is presented by the NUS Asia Research Institute and a panel of judges comprising historian Professor John Miksic, Foo Hai Fellow in Buddhist Studies at the National University of Singapore; Associate Professor Jack Meng-Tat Chia from the NUS Department of History; curator Dr Seng Yu Jin from the National Gallery of Singapore; playwright Ms Jean Tay; and educator Dr Angeline Yeo.
The prize also includes a “consumer choice” category, and this year’s shortlisted authors are Ali bin Salim, Daryl Qilin Yam, Pan Zheng Lei (Pan Cheng Lui), and rma cureess (Rama Suresh). More than 4,000 people cast their ballots in the consumer choice award, about twice the number of voters last year in the same contest. The winning authors each receive $1,000 cash and book-purchase vouchers worth $50.
Sonny Liew, the Singaporean graphic artist behind a new work of historical fiction featuring Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and ex-opposition leader Lim Chin Siong, is enjoying international acclaim for the novel. It recently won three Eisner awards, which are regarded as the Oscars of the comics industry, and was named best international work at Denmark’s Pingprisen awards in June. The prize jury commended the book’s narrative and visual style for bringing to life this important historical period in Singapore.
This year, the prize also has a new “reference” category that honors works of historical value and research. It is awarded to writers who have contributed significantly to the development and understanding of Singapore’s literary heritage through their writing, research or teaching. The reference books can be either works of nonfiction or fiction, and the authors can be from any country. The winner will receive a trophy and a cash prize of $15,000 in addition to the main award of $50,000. The prize is sponsored by the National Arts Council.