The President’s Science and Technology Award (PSTA) is Singapore’s highest scientific honor, recognizing scientists for outstanding research achievements that push the frontiers of knowledge forward. Winners also demonstrate exceptional character qualities like compassion, empathy and voluntarism while contributing to society. It is presented every two years; most recently presented in 2021.
This year’s competition received an unprecedented record number of entries, from which judges selected two winners and four special commendations awards. Gaze Back by Lee Yong Ai won first prize and its poetry speaks out about gender and linguistic reclaiming with “sassy confidence and universal appetite.” Toto, originally released as Singapore Pools’ inaugural lottery game in 1968, won second prize. With 28 ordinary bet combinations available and more expensive options like System 8 offering up 84 combinations available to players, Toto is an immensely popular lottery game with its main jackpot determined by Mondays and Thursdays draws. Players have many systems for selecting them: System 6, which gives 28 combinations and System 8.
NUS Singapore History Prize has also been enhanced to incorporate multimedia and artistic historical works with multimedia capabilities, and will alternate between this new Arts and Multimedia Category and its original Book Prize over six-year cycles. This was made possible thanks to an anonymous donor’s generous contribution.
At a ceremony hosted at Mediacorp Theatre in Singapore, this year’s Prize winners were unveiled. Hosted by Emmy-award winning actress Hannah Waddingham and three-time Emmy winning actor Sterling K. Brown, and featuring performances by Bastille and Bebe Rexha, it also highlighted their inspirational stories as they took steps towards solving some of society’s most urgent issues.
At the ceremony, winners were honored by NUS Singapore President Professor Ling Tan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Prof Kishore Mahbubani, SPH CEO Peter Lim and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong; their selection had been judged by an esteemed panel of 42 esteemed local and international judges including academics, educators, curators and award-winning literary luminaries.
The Dr Alan HJ Chan “Spirit of Singapore” Book Prize is given annually to works that embody Singaporean spirit, inspiring compassion, empathy and voluntarism while contributing to society and upholding Singapore identity. Sponsored by Singapore University of Social Sciences and open to publications issued in English only. Administered by School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences. Endowment from Dr Alan HJ Chan of Singapore Press Holdings provides support. Now in its third year of awarding; next time around it will likely go back.