Day: April 2, 2025

Founded in 2014 and conceived by former Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in support of the national SG50 programme to mark the nation’s 50th anniversary, the NUS Singapore History Prize was intended to make the complexities and nuances of our past more accessible to non-academic audiences. It also aims to encourage Singaporeans to engage with their history and identity.

The inaugural NUS Singapore History Prize was awarded to archaeologist Prof John Miksic for his book Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800, which revealed archaeological evidence that shows how our city began as a trading hub more than 700 years ago.

This year, the prize expanded to include a new translation category for books written in any of the four official languages and published between 2021 and 2023. The organisers also reopened submissions for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize — a literary competition open to unpublished fiction manuscripts — and added an award for Chinese creative non-fiction.

The prize ceremony saw a number of first-time winners. These included Straits Times journalist Akshita Nanda’s debut novel Nimita’s Place, about two women named Nimita navigating society’s expectations in India and Singapore, and speculative short story collection Lion City by Ng Yi-Sheng. It was also a good night for Singaporean writers, with former ST columnist Chia Joo Ming and Wong Koi Tet both scoring wins in English and Chinese fiction respectively.

Also in the fiction category was a graphic novel by Singaporean author Sonny Liew, whose reworking of Charlie Chan Hock Chye won the Readers’ Favourite prize based on public votes. The other winner was historian Wang Gungwu’s China and the Rise of Modern Asia, a book that chronicles the transformation of China from ancient to modern.

In the non-fiction category, the judges commended Reviving Qixi: Singapore’s Forgotten Seven Sisters Festival by Lynn Wong and Lee Kok Leong for its “informative and compelling insights”. Theatres of Memory: Industrial Heritage Of 20th Century Singapore by Loh Kah Seng, Alex Tan, Koh Keng Wee, and Tan Teng Phee came in second. The finalists were announced at a press conference in late June, where NUS President Professor Josephine Sia called for more people to take an interest in Singapore’s history and identity, and to read the six winning books.

Among the audience was NUS chancellor and trustee of the Earthshot Foundation William Cheung, who addressed the need to accelerate solutions that repair our planet. He and the other presenters wore green onstage, in line with the sustainability theme. William wore a 10-year-old dark green blazer by Alexander McQueen, while actress Mbatha sported a navy blue gown from the brand.