The cost of training at elite levels to compete in international competitions requires a significant investment of time and resources. But for those who make it to the podium, a Singapore prize can add another layer of financial reward: a million Singapore dollars, payable when a Singaporean wins gold at a major international event like an Olympics or Commonwealth Games.
This year’s winners are all women, whose efforts have helped propel the country into the world’s top 25 economies and made them leaders in their fields. From building sustainable cities to making artificial intelligence safe and ethical, the winners have proven that they can take on major global challenges and make a lasting impact.
The awards were presented Tuesday at a glitzy ceremony at the state-owned Mediacorp Theatre, co-hosted by actor Hannah Waddingham and three-time Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown, and featuring performances by the bands Bastille and OneRepublic as well as New Zealand singer Bebe Rexha. Actors Robert Irwin, Lana Condor, Cate Blanchett and Nomzamo Mbatha also attended the event. The finalists, who were chosen by experts from the National University of Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region, were selected for their contributions to the five categories.
In the English book category, the winner was Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger’s Memoirs (2023), which judges praised for its “synopsis of history that intersects with personal and social history” and for capturing a sense of “Singapore’s national character”. In the fiction category, the award went to Kenfoo’s self-published Cockman (2022), which they called “a total lack of seriousness and compromise in an attempt to capture a kind of over-the-top audacity and absurdity.”
The best book in Chinese language was Cocoon by Zhang Yueran, which tells the story of two childhood friends who uncover dark secrets from their families’ past in Communist China. The top prize in each of the three regional categories was worth 100,000 Singapore dollars, and a total of 17 writers, translators and comic artists received prizes across four languages.
The sweepstakes, which was run by the SCCA Foundation — the non-profit arm of the Sports Car Club of America that raises money for everything from its archives to SCCA Women on Track scholarships and regions grants — has become known for its bucket list prizes, which get progressively more amazing each year. It was just this month that a lucky fan won a weekend trip for two to the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix to drive with Formula 1 legends. To enter this latest race, click here. The giveaway ends Nov. 30.