Singapore Prize Finalists and Winners Announced

In a move to encourage Singapore’s local filmmakers and talents, the inaugural SG50 Film Awards was launched this year. The inaugural event saw multiple winners, including Thai director Thaweechok Phasom’s “Spirits of the Black Leaves,” which won Best Southeast Asian Short Film, and Vietnamese filmmaker Dam Quang Trung’s “Elephants by the Roadside,” which won Best Cinematography. The SG50 Film Awards will be held again in 2021 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s independence.

The third annual Earthshot Prize, created by Britain’s Prince William, will travel to Singapore this week for a week of thought leadership, innovation and impact. The winner will take home a catalytic grant of $3 million to accelerate their environmental solutions. The event will be attended by global leaders, businesses and investors, as well as members of the public.

A total of 17 works were awarded prizes by the Singapore Literature Prize on Tuesday, which is given out across four languages in Singapore. Among the winners was 91-year-old National University of Singapore professor Emeritus Peter Ellinger, who won the English section for his memoir Down Memory Lane: A Memoir (2023). The other winners were Yaamakkodangi (poetry) by Mathikumar Thayumanavan, Cheenalakshumi (fiction) by Kanagalatha K, and Appan (creative non-fiction) by Azhagunila.

An Indian maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace and groups that work to make electric car batteries cleaner and restore Andean forests were among the 15 finalists named for this year’s Singapore Prize at a ceremony Tuesday. Britain’s Prince William, who created the award three years ago, said that all of the finalists showed hope that the planet can be saved from climate change.

The finalists are being awarded $250,000 each, which will help them to scale their projects and develop their commercialization potential. They will receive coaching, support and connections to help them grow their business. They will also have the chance to build relationships with Singapore government agencies, business partners and investors.

This year’s winning creative and campaign will be chosen based on its effectiveness in raising awareness and creating meaningful engagements with consumers. The winning creative will receive $3,000 cash, $1,000 in CHARLES & KEITH vouchers, exposure on the magazine’s digital and print platforms, a showcase at Next In Vogue and a 1-year complimentary U30 membership at Mandala Club.

In partnership with AI Singapore, this challenge aims to attract the AI community to design models and solutions that will easily detect audiovisual fake media. The winning team will be able to design algorithms that can detect the presence of a camera in images and videos, as well as extract accurate camera pose data from them, by using visual odometry.

The top five teams will be selected for a final round of mentoring at the Startup Bootcamp and will get a chance to pitch their ideas to VCs and angels, and to receive funding for their startups. The winning team will also receive a showcase opportunity at the flagship anniversary event Next In Vogue in November this year, as well as opportunities to collaborate with the magazine’s editorial teams.