The Department of History at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has announced that the call for submissions for the 2027 NUS Singapore History Prize is now open.
Set up in 2014 on a generous endowment by an anonymous donor, the NUS Singapore History Prize has been awarded to fiction and non-fiction books in 2018, 2021 and 2024 with the aim to spur interest in the understanding of Singapore's history.
The 2027 NUS Singapore History Prize will, for the first time, recognise a non-print media work that engages deeply with Singapore's history under the new 'Arts and Multimedia' category. Moving forward, the Prize will alternate between the 'Books' and 'Arts and Multimedia' categories every three years.
Thanks to a doubling of the endowment by the donor, prize money for the 2027 NUS Singapore History Prize winner will also increase twofold, from S$50,000 to S$100,000, to inspire more impactful works and submissions in the coming years.
These new developments broaden the Prize's reach and seeks to further the objective of the Prize - that is, to make Singapore's unique and complex history more accessible to non-academic audiences and to encourage greater discussion among Singaporeans and the world of Singapore's rich and vibrant history, and its place in the world.
Head of the FASS Department of History, Associate Professor Joey Long said, "We firmly support our donor's belief that Singaporeans can learn a lot more about Singapore's rich history from different mediums. These include documentaries, films, visual arts, performing arts, installation art, podcasts, and videos (excluding audiobooks, books in printed form, and e-books). As such, we are glad that the Prize has now been expanded to recognise works beyond books, which also reflects NUS' commitment to foster a comprehensive appreciation of Singapore's past through accessible and modern platforms."
A distinguished Jury Panel chaired by Mr Kishore Mahbubani will judge the Prize and announce a winner in 2027. Mr Mahbubani is a Distinguished Fellow at the NUS Asia Research Institute.
Mr Mahbubani said, "Thanks to our donor who has doubled the prize money and encouraged the creation of a new category, Singaporeans will be able to engage more deeply with their rich history. There is no doubt that for the next phase of Singapore's national development, the Singaporean sense of national identity must be deepened and strengthened. The best way to do this is to develop a deep and common understanding of Singapore's history. Hence, in addition to its academic and scholarly contributions, the NUS Singapore History Prize is also supporting a strong national imperative."
Details of the 2027 NUS Singapore History Prize
The new Arts and Multimedia category will mirror the Book category in its selection process, with the winner determined through an open, public and global competition. For the 2025-2027 competition, the organisers will accept nominations from any artist, author, playwright, performer, producer, or publisher of a multimedia and artistic historical work delivered in the English language (works translated into the English language are also acceptable). There will be no limitations on the date of production as the goal is to open the admission window as wide as possible. The work should address any field, theme, or period of Singaporean history, with the goal of providing either new insights or new ways of exciting the imagination of Singaporeans about Singapore's history. Nominations will be restricted to a maximum of three works per applicant and will have to be submitted by 31 May 2027.
