The Singapore Prize recognizes individuals and organisations whose achievements have had an outstanding effect on Singapore, encouraging citizens to view themselves as citizens while instilling pride for nationhood in all citizens. Furthermore, it serves as a reminder of the value of public service; winners are selected by an impartial panel of judges.
Kishore Mahbubani of NUS Asia Research Institute’s distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani first proposed this prize in his opinion column for Straits Times published April 2014. Mahbubani stated his idea was motivated by American social scientist Benedict Anderson’s assertion that nations are imagined communities; therefore shared imagination serves as the essential glue that holds societies together today.
One year later, it was inaugurated in London by a group of British and Singaporean philanthropists with the goal of encouraging people to “be proud of their heritage and contribute to shaping a global citizenry”. Christopher Wren has designed the trophy which features stylised rose and crescent designs reminiscent of Singapore’s colonial past; winning book is expected to be published by 2023.
In addition to book prizes, the Singapore Prize recognizes individuals and organisations whose achievements have made an outstanding contribution to national pride. Alongside cash awards, winners will also receive medals designed by British-Singaporean artist Christopher Wren featuring undulating folds topped with crescent and five stars; on the reverse is featured State Arms. Minted by Singapore Mint.
The Singapore Prize is one of Singapore’s premier business awards, organized in collaboration between Asme (Association of Small and Medium Enterprises) and Lianhe Zaobao, one of Singapore’s leading business newspapers. It recognizes businesses which excelled at branding as well as providing exceptional customer service levels.
This year’s competition marked its fifth edition since it first began in 2002 and over 500 companies were recognized. Winners of the Singapore Prize are chosen by an expert panel comprised of business leaders, industry experts and journalists from Asme and Lianhe Zaobao publications; additionally they appear in an annual book published by these publications.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered an empowering address in which he called upon winners of this year’s Singapore Prize to stand as “an example of what can be accomplished when people work towards one common goal”. In his address he further noted: “All our efforts to make our world better come together through one common aim, with Singapore Prize providing us with a platform to showcase our finest works.
On Tuesday, Prince William’s Earthshot prize winners were honored at an award ceremony held in Singapore. These champions include a lithium-ion battery recycler and program to reduce illegal fishing; each will receive up to PS1 Million to help scale their solutions for climate change and biodiversity loss issues.