Home-grown translators, comic-book authors and debut writers will now have a shot at winning the 2024 Singapore Literature Prize (SLP) – one of the most prestigious home-grown literary prizes for a published book.
On Jan 11, award organiser Singapore Book Council (SBC) announced three new categories in addition to the existing ones for poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction in Singapore’s four official languages.
The SBC said in a press statement that these new categories help “recognise and promote increasingly diverse published works by Singaporeans and permanent residents”.
It is the first time since 2014 that a new category for the biennial SLP has been introduced.
This brings the total number of SLP awards up from 12 to 18, as the Best Debut award is given out across all four languages. All shortlisted works across genres by debut authors will be eligible for the award.
The Readers’ Favourite award – which is given based on public votes and first introduced in 2020 – will not be given out this year.
Former winners of the SLP include poet Marylyn Tan, historian Wang Gungwu, Chinese-language writer Wong Koi Tet, Malay-language literary pioneer Suratman Markasan and Tamil-language writer Sithuraj Ponraj.
Comics and graphic novels published in English by Singaporean creators from 2022 to 2023 are now their own category.
Comic artist Sonny Liew’s The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015) was the first graphic novel to win the SLP under the English Fiction category.
The 2024 translation award is open to works of fiction published from 2021 to 2023 and translated into English by a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, although the writer of the original work can be of any nationality.
Previously, translated books were eligible under other categories, as when Mohamed Latiff Mohamed’s The Widower, translated by Alfian Sa’at, was shortlisted in 2016 under the English Fiction category.
This new category for translation comes on the heels of the Golden Point Award – a creative writing competition open to unpublished writers in their genre – introducing a new translation category, which was awarded to educator Tan Xiang Yeow in 2023 and carries a $6,000 cash prize.
Another Singapore book prize which has reopened for submissions is the Epigram Books Fiction Prize (EBFP), awarded to unpublished fiction manuscripts, including new translations.
Epigram Books publisher Edmund Wee had previously announced that the EBFP would be suspended for 2024 in order to direct his resources and attention to an “equally critical part of Singapore literature” – children’s books.
The 2025 EBFP is open to citizens and permanent residents of South-east Asia and carries a $25,000 prize for the winner and $5,000 prize for three finalists. Submissions are open till Aug 1 and details can be found on the Epigram Books website (www.epigram.sg/ebfp).
The SLP is currently open for submissions. The deadline is Feb 15, 6pm. Details on how to submit your book for consideration can be found on the SBC website (www.bookcouncil.sg/awards/slp-2024). Similar to the previous edition, the SLP carries a cash prize of $3,000 for each winner.
The SLP shortlists will be announced in mid-July, and the winners will be unveiled on Sept 10.
