Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2020

The Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award (HABA) is presented biennially to an outstanding children’s book written by a Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident.

Online Form

The closing date is 16 December 2019, 5.00pm (SG time).

OBJECTIVES
ELIGIBILITY 
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
SUBMISSIONS FORM
JUDGES
TIMELINE
ENQUIRIES

 

Objectives

• To encourage the quality and quantity of books published for children; 
• To promote the publication of books, set in a familiar and meaningful background that is relevant to the Singapore children.

The prize carries a cash award of S$10,000, which is to be shared by the creators of the winning work, i.e. author and illustrator. Should the book be in English translation, the award will be shared equally between the author, illustrator, and translator.

SBC will announce the shortlist of works considered for the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award in April 2020. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend the award ceremony which will take place during the 2020 Asian Festival of Children’s Content (28 - 31 May).

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Eligibility

1. The award is open to all Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents who are at least 18 years of age. For books with multiple creators, at least both the author and illustrator must be Singapore citizens or Permanent Residents.
2. Books published for general commercial release from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019 are eligible for this award. For translated books, the translation must be published within the above-mentioned time frame.
3. The award will be given for published fiction works intended for children up to 12 years old. Books belonging to the below categories are eligible for the award:

• Picture Books
  A book containing illustrations and/or words that present a coherent narrative structure. The book should contain less than 700 words and be no more than 40 pages long. The book is intended for children aged 7 years old and below.
   
• Middle-grade Book
  A fiction book for middle-grade readers that present an expanded narrative structure that may or may not contain illustrations. The book should have at least 6,000 words, and is intended for children aged 8 to 12 years old. 

4. Entries submitted can either be published in Singapore or abroad, but must fall between the specified period of publication, i.e. from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019.
5. Reprints and reissues from previous years are not eligible. 

 

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Submission Guidelines

1. The closing date for submissions is 16 December 2019, 5.00pm (SG time). Hard copies of the books must reach Singapore Book Council by this date and time. Late submissions will not be accepted.
2. All entries should be submitted via the online form below.
3. Entries can be submitted either by any of the creators or publisher.
4. Applicants may submit more than one entry for the competition provided that the works are different and not variations of the same work.
5. You will receive a confirmation email upon submission of the online entry form. Please print out the confirmation email and include it with your hard copy submissions.
6. Four (4) hard copies of each title should accompany each online entry form. One (1) copy of each title will be sent to each judge. The remaining copy will be retained by SBC for display and promotional purposes. SBC will not be held responsible for any books that are lost or damaged in transit.
7. Entries not accompanied by hard copy submissions will be considered incomplete and disqualified from judging.
8. The hard copies of the books should be sent to the following address:

Singapore Book Council
Goodman Arts Centre, 90 Goodman Road,
Blk E #03-32,
Singapore 439053

ATTN: Organiser/HABA

Please read the rules and regulations before submitting your entry. 

Rules and Regulations

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Submissions Form

All entries must be submitted via the online form:

Online Form

The following information is required to complete the online form:

1. Book details (title, no. of pages, year published, ISBN)
2. Book cover (.jpeg format, 300dpi, at least 1MB)
3. Publisher’s particulars (mailing address and contact info)
4. Creators’ particulars (mailing address, contact info and last three digits of NRIC)
5. Creators’ biographies (in single .doc, .docx or .pdf format, 80-100 words per creator)
6. Creators’ publicity photos (in ZIP file, jpeg format 300dpi, at least 1 photo per creator)

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JUDGES

		Dr Donna Lim is a lecturer with the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She specialises in primary English Language methodology. Her interest area is in developing literacy with a focus on teaching writing. She has considerable teaching experience with young learners and finds it fulfilling to work with fellow educators to enhance EL teaching and learning. Dr Lim serves as the Chief Judge for HABA 2020.
		Charles Santoso loves drawing little things in his little journal and dreaming about funny, wondrous stories. He gathers inspiration from his childhood memories and curiosities he discovers in his everyday travels. He has illustrated books for publishers in the USA such as Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Disney Hyperion, Abrams, Bloomsbury, Little Brown and MacMillan. One of the picture book, Ida, Always – written by Caron Levis has received several awards and was mentioned in the New York Times as “an example of children’s books at their best”. He has also illustrated the New York Times bestseller Wishtree book by Katherine Applegate.
		Lee Kow Fong (Ah Guo) holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Translation and Interpretation from Nanyang Technological University and received his MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Anglia Ruskin University in 2011. Besides teaching part-time at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, he is also actively involved in the promotion and creation of children’s picture books in Singapore. So far, he has published near to 20 books and is now a full-time illustrator.

 

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Timeline

HABA submissions open - 25 October 2019
HABA submissions close - 16 December 2019, 5.00pm (SG time).
Announcement of shortlist - April 2020
Announcement of HABA winner at Asian Festival of Children’s Content - 28 - 31 May 2020*

*Details of the award ceremony will be announced closer to AFCC. 

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Enquiries

For more information, please contact [email protected] with the subject "AFCC 2020 HABA Enquiry". 

 

About Mrs Hedwig Anuar

Mrs Hedwig Anuar was the first Singaporean Director of the National Library of Singapore, a position she held from 1960 until her retirement in 1988. She put in place the foundations of the modern library system in Singapore and made contributions to all aspects of library work. This award recognises her outstanding contribution to children's librarianship and the promotion of books and reading for children.

View past HABA winners here. 

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