The Winners of the 2015 Singapore Prize

A maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace and groups that make electric car batteries cleaner, restore Andean forests and deter illegal fishing were among the winners of the Singapore prize. Britain’s Prince William, whose Royal Foundation charity launched the 10-year award program in 2020, said at Tuesday’s ceremony that solutions presented by all 15 finalists showed “hope does remain” as climate change continues to wreak havoc worldwide.

This year’s event is the third time the prize has been held. Previous winners include a Singaporean man who developed an online portal to help his parents manage their health, and a Singaporean entrepreneur who launched a platform that helps people find the best healthcare providers in their neighbourhoods. The winning ideas have the potential to scale across Asia and around the world.

The prize, a stipend and mentorship opportunities will be awarded to ten winners. They will also be given the chance to participate in the annual summit hosted by the Singapore Economic Development Board, where they can network with other entrepreneurs and experts.

It’s a record number of winners for the Singapore prize this year, and it’s thanks to the public. More than 3,000 people voted in the Readers’ Favourite category, with the top four winning a cash prize of $1,000 each. The other winners are a researcher who teaches the art of resealable packaging, an artist who creates life-size sculptures of birds and the co-founder of a company that develops a low-cost reusable bag.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, an arts group is honouring artists who are using their creativity to improve the lives of their community members. The Singapore prize is an annual award that recognises creative works from Singaporeans in the fields of music, visual arts and literature.

Besides the main prizes, other awards were given out at the ceremony, including the inaugural Dr Alan HJ Chan Spirit of Singapore Book Prize. The prize, established with a $1 million donation from Confucian scholar Alan Chan, promotes the writing of books that champion mindsets and values important to Singapore. This includes equality, diversity and religious harmony, meritocracy, resilience and an emphasis on education.

Another highlight was the first time in the prize’s history that five writers were shortlisted in two or more categories. The most notable winner was Marylyn Tan, who won the English poetry category for her debut collection of arcane and unapologetic work, Gaze Back, which tackled taboo topics from menstruation to sexuality. She is the first woman in the prize’s 28-year history to win the award.