In the age of fake news, media and journalists have a big responsibility to verify information and facts. To address this, the Singapore Prize has launched a competition aimed at leveraging technology to identify and verify authentic media content.
The competition, named the Trusted Media Challenge, is open to the AI community. It encourages participants to develop and demonstrate AI models and solutions that can easily detect audiovisual fake media using a visual localisation approach. The winner will walk away with a cash prize of S$50,000.
SINGAPORE – The National University of Singapore’s triennial Singapore History Prize has been awarded to Khir Johari for The Food of the Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through The Archipelago (2019, Marshall Cavendish). Khir’s 3.2kg tome, which took 14 years from conception to publication, beat five other shortlisted books to claim the prize. It is the second win for the prize, which was introduced in 2014 to recognise publications that have made a lasting impact on our understanding of Singapore’s past.
Another notable achievement was clinched by Hidayah Amin for Leluhur: The Story of Kampong Gelam (2019, available here). A heritage royal building at the heart of Kampong Glam, Gedung Kuning, has long been a place of interest to tourists and residents alike. This book uncovers the rich historical significance of this site, and the people who have shaped it.
For the first time this year, a physics-themed award is also being launched. The IPS Institute Awards will honour outstanding research and innovative physics education. The nomination process is now open and closes on 30 May. Nominees do not need to be Elected Members of the Institute, nor do they need to have any physics training — they simply need to be outstanding communicators!
In addition to the aforementioned prizes, several other initiatives are underway to encourage research and innovation in Singapore. The STI Leadership Forum, which was previously run by the National Research Council, is now being hosted by the Singapore Economic Development Board and supported by the Ministry of Finance. The event will bring together thought leaders from government, academia and industry to discuss issues and opportunities for research and innovation in Singapore.
The Singapore Prize also aims to connect students to Harvard alumni who can share their experiences and insights about studying at the world’s leading university. One of the alumni, Muhammad Dinie from ITE College Central, shared how his team led a project to show appreciation to Town Council cleaners during the Covid-19 pandemic by giving them packed meals, groceries and thank-you cards. This was one of the dozens of student projects featured in the Prize Book this year. More than 60 projects were submitted from across the country, with over 500 students involved. The winners will be announced in October. The Prize Book is available for purchase at all leading bookstores and online. For more details, visit the Prize Book website.