The Singapore Prize is a biennial award that honours writers in the island nation’s three languages: Chinese, Malay, and English. It is Singapore’s second-highest literary award, after the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, and comes with a cash prize of $3,000 and an engraved trophy.

This year’s prize ceremony was held on August 25 at the Victoria Theatre. The shortlist featured 49 titles in the four categories. The pool of submissions was smaller than last year’s, a result of the pandemic that hit the publishing industry. But the panel that chooses the winner said it was able to find strong works across the categories.

The winner of this year’s Singapore Prize is Prof Miksic’s book, Singapore And The Silk Road Of The Sea, 1300 – 1800. He said his work is “a fundamental reinterpretation of the story of Singapore’s early development”. “There have been bits and pieces of information about the history of Singapore, but no one had put them together until my book,” he added. The book examines the evidence from historical records, such as the 13th century Chinese merchant Wang Dayuan’s writings that mentioned names like Temasek and Longyamen (or Dragon Teeth’s Gate), which he claims are references to Singapore.

The prize panel was composed of academics from the Department of History at NUS, as well as historians and arts and heritage figures. The judges were selected for their expertise in different areas of historical research, including military and maritime history, urban and environmental history, and the study of Singapore’s multiethnic society. The prize is administered by the NUS Department of History and funded by an endowment from an anonymous donor.

Announcing the winners, Britain’s Prince William said that the 15 finalists demonstrated that hope remains despite the urgent challenges facing our world. He praised the “outstanding solutions” of the finalists, which included an Indian maker of solar-powered dryers, a company that turns carbon dioxide into rock, and groups that work to make electric car batteries cleaner and restore Andean forests.

The prince, who is visiting Singapore for a week of work and events, is set to meet local entrepreneurs and see how they are using technology and innovation to tackle climate change and save wildlife. He will also call on the country’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at The Istana palace — one of the city’s oldest heritage sites. He will also take part in a United for Wildlife summit featuring law enforcement agencies and conservation groups. William is a keen sportsman and will try his hand at dragon boating during his visit.

A slot demo is a free version of a casino game that lets players test drive the mechanics of the game before they actually play it for real money. It also gives them the opportunity to see whether or not they really enjoy playing the game. This is especially useful for newcomers to online gambling as they can try out games without risking any financial loss.

Online slots usually feature a demo mode for players to use before they decide to deposit any real money. In many cases this is the only way to experience a game before you decide to play it. However, some players will only play a game in real money mode once they feel they have learned the game and can handle the risks involved. In other cases, players may choose to play both modes depending on their preferences.

Most online casinos will automatically default to real-play slots when a player logs in, but some will offer a demo option for players who prefer to practice before betting their own money. The main difference between the two types of slots is that real-play slots will be triggered if there is money in the account while demo slots will only work when there are no funds in the account.

When a slot is in demo mode, it will be displayed as such on the screen, typically with a word or symbol that says DEMO next to the balance. Some developers will also display pop-ups every so often to remind players that the game is in demo mode. This is designed to help responsible gambling, as it stops people getting too used to the thrill of gambling and then putting their finances at risk by spending more than they can afford to lose.

A slot is a machine that pays out winnings when the symbols listed on its pay table line up along the payout line. The symbols can be wild, meaning that they can substitute for other symbols to complete a winning line. Some machines will list their pay table on the face of the machine, while others will only show a graphic representation of it on the screen.

The payout percentage of a slot is determined by its RTP (return to player percentage). The higher the RTP, the more likely it is to return a profit. However, it is important to note that the RTP of a slot can vary significantly from one operator to another.

A slot is a machine that pays out money according to a random number generator, or RNG. It is an electronic circuit that generates random numbers at a rate faster than the human eye can keep up with. The random numbers are then translated into a sequence of events on the reels that results in either a win or a loss. Most modern slot machines have an RNG that is constantly monitored to ensure it is functioning properly. If the RNG is not functioning correctly, a machine will stop paying out and the dealer will be notified.