Singapore Prize Winners Announced at Asian Games
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The Singapore Prize – first suggested by former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in a 2014 column in this newspaper – was established with help from an anonymous donor in 2014. Mahbubani chairs its five-member jury, comprising Foo Hai Fellow in Buddhist Studies Jack Meng-Tat Chia of NUS Department of History; novelist Meira Chand; historian Peter Coclanis; and educator Angeline Yeo.
The prize honours individuals who go beyond expectations to show care and kindness towards others. Ideally, winners would have shown this compassion over an extended period of time, inspiring peers or family members to follow suit.
Prize money aside, winners receive certificates and trophies as well as public figure status and must adhere to several rules and regulations imposed by their society. They will be expected to speak publicly about their experiences and the significance of selflessness within society.
Singapore Pools’ spokesperson noted that their prize “will help them continue to improve player experiences and contribute towards community welfare”. Operating since 1968, Singapore Pools provides lotteries, sports betting and motor racing wagering as a significant revenue stream for their government counterpart.
At the 2024 Asian Games held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, multiple athletes won bonus prizes at both venues, including American swimmer Kate Douglass who secured a $10,000 Triple Crown bonus by dominating 200 breaststroke, 100 individual medley (IM), 50 butterfly events. Brendon Levens from New Zealand received a $20,000 boost after breaking his world record in men’s 400 metre freestyle event.
As part of the award ceremony’s theme ‘Our Earthshot’, organisers adopted an eco-friendly approach in its staging. Presenters donned recycled clothing while the red carpet was covered with biodegradable plastic. Hannah Waddingham and Sterling K Brown donned dark green Alexander McQueen blazers while New Zealand actress Mbatha donned navy blue Stella McCartney dresses; musicians One Republic and Bastille performed for an audience of 1,000 guests that evening.
Who are looking forward to competing for Singapore Prize can participate in the Online Safety Prize Challenge. This 10-week competition seeks to advance AI research by creating multimodal, multilingual, zero-shot models capable of distinguishing between benign and harmful memes. This initiative seeks to promote safer digital interactions globally, particularly in regions with limited data on harmful content. For more information please visit their official website. The grand prize features a four-night stay in a deluxe suite at Fairmont Hotel Singapore, roundtrip airfare to and from Singapore, and airport transfers. As well as taking part in watching the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the winner and guest can explore the dynamic beauty of Singapore with sightseeing tour passes and enjoy on-circuit live entertainment. Applications for this contest can be submitted until January 28th.