The Singapore Prize and Other Awards
Singapore once offered numerous prizes, spanning sports, culture and literature. Unfortunately, over time some prizes were discontinued or combined into another. In 2023 a new prize was introduced to recognize Singaporean creators of comics and graphic novels with both cash prize as well as trophy and special appearance at an international comics festival.
The Singapore Prize recognizes all published works of fiction or nonfiction written in Chinese, English, Malay or Tamil by Singaporeans that meet specific criteria of literary merit and cultural contribution. Books will be evaluated based on these criteria along with translation and debut work awards; 2019 saw one grand prize winner receiving $10,000 while all others received $5,000 each.
This prize is given annually to an exceptional University Scholars Programme graduate who not only excels academically but has demonstrated strong dedication and participation in co-curricular activities and community service. The prize has been named after Mdm Chan Bibe bte Syed Mohd Shah who had an extraordinary passion for education and service to others.
Sonny Liew from Singapore earned the HOFS Award in 2023 for his comics and other art works that explore the roots of modern Singaporean cuisine and other cultural phenomena. This work garnered him international acclaim and multiple Eisner Awards — considered Oscars of comics industry -.
Since its creation, this award has honored 132 arts practitioners. They all displayed professional maturity in their practices while making significant contributions to Singapore’s artistic growth.
Launched in 2016, the Singapore Emerging Artists Scheme (SEAS) is the inaugural scheme of its kind designed to recognize and nurture young, emerging talent. Offering up to $20,000 over three to five years for career development purposes as well as opportunities to showcase works and connect with wider Singapore communities, SEAS provides young artists a crucial source of support.
Introduced in 1969 under its original name – Big Sweep – Singapore Sweep lottery game became one of Singapore’s biggest contributors towards National Stadium construction costs over time, contributing a total of $14.5 million over several years. Ticket costs then were just one dollar; its proceeds contributed significantly toward its construction costs over time. In 1981, Singapore Pools’ flagship game TOTO was rebranded and given a more prominent place within their offerings; prize amounts were enhanced and included a snowballing feature and System Entry option to increase odds of success for this popular Singaporean game. Today it boasts one in 11 chances of winning big prize pools, making TOTO one of the most widely played and beloved titles available here. In 2018, TOTO was relaunched as a 6-out-of-45 format with an assured jackpot prize of $500,000. Tickets can now be found in over 2,400 outlets; you can even check your odds of winning! For more information, visit their official website.