In a ceremony that marks the return of Singapore’s prize awards after being cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, 12 winners have been announced for this year’s biennial Singapore Literature Prize. The award celebrates works in the island state’s four languages: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English. The award has reopened to include a translation category for the first time, giving local writers the chance to win for their work in different languages.

The winners were picked during a glitzy event hosted by Hannah Waddingham and Sterling K Brown at the state-owned MediaCorp Theatre. They each received a trophy made of recycled materials designed by designer Stella McCartney.

This year’s top winner is Professor John Miksic for his book, Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800, which won in the history category. The citation for the book lauds the author for “reinvigorating interest in Singapore’s past by bringing to light previously overlooked artefacts”.

Another history book, Leluhur: Singapore Kampong Gelam, written by Hidayah Ibrahim, won the prize in the culture and society category. The citation describes the work as an “astounding synthesis of historical research and primary sources” and praises the author for her personal inputs into the writing.

Among the other winners were Neo4j, which won the innovation prize for its graph data platform, and Singapura Tea, which won in the food and beverages category for its range of specialty sengkuang products. The other categories were for architecture and design, business, and cyber security.

While the Singapore prizes are a good indicator of the country’s reading culture, there is more to the country than books. In fact, it also has a number of other accolades for achievements in various fields, from sports to entrepreneurship.

During his trip to Singapore for the award ceremonies, Prince William will take part in the popular local sport of dragon boating, as well as attend United for Wildlife’s Global Summit, a gathering of leaders from conservation, government and law enforcement to discuss solutions to fighting the illegal wildlife trade. This is the second visit to the city for the royal, who last came in 2012. This will be his first trip as a solo traveller, as wife Kate Middleton was forced to stay at home to care for their youngest son. The royal will also be taking in the city’s renowned culinary scene, visiting a number of the world’s best restaurants and bars.