Day: May 19, 2025

The inaugural Singapore Prize will recognize Singaporean literature across all forms, with a new category that recognizes art and multimedia works. This addition reflects our donor’s strong conviction that citizens can learn about Singapore’s rich history from sources other than books alone, and that developing an appreciation of our past through accessible platforms is critical. Our Arts and Multimedia Category welcomes any creative expression that sheds light on Singapore’s past such as film, video, installation art, podcasts or audio-visual pieces (excluding audiobooks printed form or ebooks). This program also included a reader’s favorite category, similar to many other prize programs which try to include active engagement from the public in its awards process. Close to 3,000 people cast votes in this section alongside core jury-judged programs in Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil languages. Tonight at a live ceremony hosted by Emmy Award winning actress Hannah Waddingham and three-time Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown, winners of each core awards category in all four languages were celebrated for their achievements and nominated by peers for outstanding contributions made towards Singapore and global society. At the ceremony, a multimedia piece on stateless individuals navigating Singapore earned its media team special citation. Published in ST and featuring Mr Ricqo Rafiezuwan’s journey from an Indonesian refugee camp to becoming a permanent resident and full-time operations executive – this story raised awareness about their struggles within our city-state. Violinists Dmytro Udovychenko and Anna Agafia Egholm won major arts awards, both receiving USD 100,000 to help further their performances and teaching careers. Meanwhile, composers Joel Smirnoff and Mihaela Martin received USD 25,000 each. The Singapore International Graduate Award (SIGA) is a bond-free scholarship provided by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research to outstanding international students with stellar undergraduate or master’s results from one of Singapore University. Scholarship recipients come from diverse disciplines such as social sciences, humanities, arts and social sciences; STEM disciplines (science technology engineering maths physics); the built environment; business & management; engineering technology science maths; as well as health science. SIGA Scholarship is the sole award of its kind in Singapore and applicants may submit applications via either the University Grants Commission Common Grant Scheme or any government-funded institution in Singapore, such as National Institute of Education and INSEAD. SIGA awards up to SGD $200,000 over four years for this scholarship – more information can be found on SIGA website.