On 11th November 2025, the recipients of the Victor T. King (VTK) Prize in Borneo Studies for the academic years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 were officially announced. A prize-giving ceremony was held at the Institute of Asian Studies Meeting Room, attended by Deans, Directors and Programme Leaders from various faculties, including the Academy of Brunei Studies and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Inaugurated in 2022, the VTK Prize recognises the best final-year undergraduate essay on a research topic related to Borneo Studies.
The awardees are as follows:
- Aida Syahmina binti Haji Abdul Murad, Award Winner 2023/2024
- Nur Hayati binti Mohd Yusof, Award Winner 2024/2025
- Tan Shim Shin and Hanis Syaheerah Ikhwani binti Haji Dayang, Joint Honourable Mentions 2024/2025
In her opening remarks, Dr Hannah Ho, Deputy Director of the Institute of Asian Studies and Chair of the VTK Prize in Borneo Studies, highlighted the remarkable standard of academic essays submitted this year. She noted that the research projects addressed timely issues and brought valuable attention to Brunei Darussalam. The prize committee praised the overall quality of the submissions and commended the achievements of all the recipients.
Nominations for next year’s award will open again in the second and third quarters of 2026. The Institute of Asian Studies welcomes exemplary essays that embody the engaging spirit of critical scholarship in Borneo Studies. As reflected in this year’s award-winning essay, which was described as a “forward-looking piece” that “exemplifies the creativity, critical depth, and contemporary relevance that the VTK Prize seeks to encourage,” the prize aims to cultivate cutting-edge research within the student body in Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
