Earthshot Prize 2018 winners were revealed during an extravagant ceremony in Singapore. Prince William of Britain, whose foundation initiated this 10-year award program in 2020, attended wearing a dark green velour suit and dickie bow. Co-host Hannah Waddingham (49), donned a sparkling black ball gown adorned with long green sashes that coordinated perfectly with their thick green carpet walk. Amongst the winners of this year’s Earthshot Prize included Indian manufacturer of solar dryers; soil carbon marketplace; groups working towards making electric car batteries cleaner; Andean forests restoration and deterring illegal fishing activity among others. Those taking home the top prize were rewarded with $2158 cash and custom designed trophy as prizes!
This inaugural prize, created in 2014 by the National University of Singapore’s history department and established with international entries being welcome, recognizes Singaporean history from an international perspective. According to prize creator Kishore Mahbubani – professor at NUS and one of its history faculty – “a healthy civil society requires citizens who can use shared memories from our shared past as resources when making important choices during pivotal moments”.
This year’s shortlist covers an impressive breadth of topics, from Singapore’s history of modernization efforts to how the coronavirus pandemic affected daily life in Singapore. Of particular note is its age diversity – two winners this year — Malay writer Suratman Markesan’s Honing the Pen, Volume 2 and Wang Gungwu’s Home Is Where We Are Going) — are both 91 years old — making them two of the prize’s oldest winners ever!
In October at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Singapore, the 2021 winner will be revealed. For six consecutive years now, WAF has collaborated with Inside World Festival of Interiors to recognize and honour international proposals that leverage cutting-edge design while meeting global challenges. In addition, for the first time ever WAF will present special awards including Best Use of Natural Light supported by VELUX; Best use of Stone supported by Turkish Stone; and The Sustainability Prize supported by Rockwool.
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This award recognizes outstanding institutions and individuals that demonstrate leadership through innovation, excellence, integrity and social responsibility. Institutions, organisations or individuals that have made substantial contributions to Singapore’s economic expansion and people wellbeing will receive this honour. This award is an initiative undertaken jointly by Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, Economic Development Board, National Research Council and Civil Service Commission as an incentive for Singaporeans to continue contributing towards world prosperity. As well as honouring pioneers who have served our country with distinction, this award will serve to motivate others to follow in their footsteps and emulate them. A trophy bearing “Singapore: The Story of Our Nation” on one side and the Civil Service Commission logo on the other will be presented at this ceremony.
