Scholastic Asian Book Award 2012

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Scholastic Asian Book Award 2012

The Scholastic Asian Book Award (SABA) is presented to recognise outstanding writers of children’s material in Asia or of Asian origin.

The objectives of the award are as follows:

  • to recognise excellence in fiction in Asian stories for children
  • to showcase the diversity of literary talent within Asia
  • to encourage and inspire more Asian-themed books and stories

The Scholastic Asian Book Award (SABA) worth S$10,000 is awarded to an unpublished manuscript or translation of an original work in English targeted at children of ages 6 to 18 years.

The first SABA was awarded in 2011. The annual Scholastic Asian Book Award after this year will be presented biennially. The next award will be given in 2014.

The closing date for SABA 2014 submissions is 21 October 2013.

Scholastic Asian Book Award 2012 Winners:

 

 Winner: Bungee Cord Hair

by Ching Yeung Russell

USA

Based on the author’s true story, twelve-year old Ying, an aspiring writer, moves to Hong Kong from China but experiences many difficulties. Trying to blend in with the society, she loses her identity. When she wins a writing contest, she realizes that she has a special talent and finds herself.

Ching Yeung Russell (YC) is a multicultural children’s book author in the United States.  Her latest Book, Tofu Quilt, has received many honors, as well as being nominated for the Red Dot Children’s Book Award of 2011 in Singapore and the Sakura Medal of Japan (2011-2012). She was born in China and later moved to Hong Kong.  She graduated from Hong Kong Baptist College in Chinese Literature.  She worked as a teacher and a freelance writer.

  1st Runner Up: The Locked Up Boy

by Pauline Loh Tuan Lee

Singapore

Mui is a poor tribal girl harbouring a dark family secret. Justin Leng has looks and wealth. But he is trapped in his past. Mui helps Justin, and in doing so, she is freed from her past as well.

My dream is to write stories that entertain people and make them happy. If they learn something from my stories to help them in their lives, I will be very satisfied. While  I  dream,  I  care  for  my  three  children  and  write  freelance  non-fiction  articles  for  books, magazines and  websites. I am also part of a creative writing group. Previously,  I  worked  as  a  journalist  in  Singapore  Press  Holdings  and  as  editor  of  a  family  magazine.

 

 

2nd Runner Up: Hidden in Plain Sight

by Ang Su-Lin

Singapore

Ten-year-old Jen and her cousins accidentally dislodge a chinese puzzle hidden in an old chinese sofa.  The cousins find themselves in a treasure hunt that takes them through pre-independent Singapore as they hunt down clues and break codes and ciphers to solve the mystery of the puzzle.

Su-Lin was the presenter of the CDIS television series, “The Word Shop”, a free-lance editor for the Institute of South East Asian Studies, a legal officer in the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, a partner in a law firm, author of a cook book, ‘The Overseas Student’s Survival Cookbook’, in-house counsel in an international bank and a risk manager in a brand company.   ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ is her first venture into fiction.

 

  3rd Runner Up: Double Take

by Katherine Seow

Singapore

A month into Stanley’s new job, his boss falls ill. Promoted to Deputy Security Head at Hotel P, Stanley investigates a mysterious theft, assisted by Jeremy, his teenage friend. Unfortunately, their efforts trigger his colleague Henry’s kidnapping. Beleaguered, Stanley has to decide between rescuing Henry and giving the case up.

After working in an investment bank, Katherine switched tracks and free-lanced as a contributing writing for The Edge (Singapore), a financial weekly. Katherine enrolled for a postgraduate programme with the University of Glasgow and graduated in 2010 with a Masters in Creative Writing.  While at University, Katherine started work on Double Take, completing the mystery novel nine months after graduation.

 

The judges for SABA 2012 are Nury Vittachi (Hong Kong) as Chief Judge, Ken Spillman (Australia), Helen McAleer (United Kingdom), Sayoni Basu (India) and Naomi Kojima (Japan).

The winner for SABA 2012 was announced on 29 May 2012, at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content, in Singapore.

For more information, please visit www.bookcouncil.sg.

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