The heir to Britain’s throne last visited Singapore with his wife, Princess Catherine, in 2012. Traveling solo this time, the 41-year-old greeted dozens of people waving British flags as he took a stroll. He was also shown a tree planted in his honor at the Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall.
The third Earthshot Prize awards ceremony was held in Singapore on Tuesday, with the five winners ranging from solar-powered dryers to combat food waste to making electric car batteries cleaner unveiled. The award, which was founded in 2020 by Britain’s Prince William, aims to support environmental innovators with solutions to battle climate change and save the planet. This year’s event was the first held in Asia and saw celebrities including Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and actors Donnie Yen, Lana Condor, and Nomzamo Mbatha walk the green carpet.
Organizers say the 2024 edition of the Singapore Prize, which will be awarded in English and Chinese, is “the most diverse ever” with more than half of the writers shortlisted for the first time. The prize includes a cash prize and a commissioned trophy. It will be judged by a panel of five judges, with a closing nomination date at least a year in advance of the prize being announced.
The winner of this year’s prize will be announced in the fall, but a finalist is already generating buzz. The 2024 winner will be chosen by a jury of experts that includes scholars and authors, including NUS Asia Research Institute distinguished fellow Kishore Mahbubani; historians John Miksic and Peter Coclanis; novelist Meira Chand; and economist Lam San Ling.
A new category for translation has been added to this year’s competition, which was relaunched in 2022 as part of a larger effort by the National Arts Council to broaden the appeal of its literary prizes and raise awareness about Singaporean literature in general. The prize is open to manuscripts of original fiction, nonfiction and poetry written in both English and Chinese and submitted by Singaporeans or those with a strong connection to the country.
The top three violinists of this year’s Singapore International Violin Competition were named on Dec 14, with Dmytro Udovychenko taking home the USD $110,000 top prize, Anna Agafia Egholm winning USD 50,000, and Angela Sin Ying Chan receiving USD 15,000. In addition to the top prize, all three received multiple concert engagements. This is the fourth year in a row that violinists from outside of Asia have won the top prizes at the event. The competition, which was held at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, is regarded as one of the most competitive in the world. It is backed by major sponsors such as the Singapore Tourism Board, Changi Airport Group and the National Arts Council of Singapore.