As an ardent champion of the Arts, there is no greater pride than honouring and celebrating the best in our local literary scene. Granted, given the current situation, The Singapore Literature Prize ceremony is a little different this year. With the help of technology, the Singapore Book Council was able to have their first-ever virtual ceremony with judges and nominees tuning in via Zoom.
The theme this year is #WhyWeWrite which explores what compels writers to write and why writing is more important now more than ever.
It was certainly a ceremony for the times. This year also marks the addition of a new category, Reader’s Favourite where readers get to vote for their favourite book.
The notable wins this year include 黄凯德 (Wong Koi Tet) and சித்துராஜ் பொன்ராஜ் (Sithuraj Ponraj), who clinched two awards each, as well as Maralyn Tan, who is the first woman to win in the English Poetry Category. The full list of nominees and winners from each category is listed below with the winners in bold.
Once again, congratulations to all the winners!
Poetry
Malay
Langkah-Langkah Langka (Unique Steps), Mohd Khair Mohd Yasin
Pencarian dan Penemuan (Searching and Discovery), Suratman Markasan
Rayuan pada Hujan (Appealing to the Rain), Maarof Salleh
Sepatu Mimpi (Dream Shoes), Samsudin Said
Tamil
ஏற்றம் அளித்த இருநூறு (Growth of 200 (years)), அ. கி. வரதராசன் A. K. Varadharajan
இத்தாலியனாவது சுலபம் (It is Easy to be an Italian), சித்துராஜ் பொன்ராஜ் Sithuraj Ponraj
கடலெனும் வசீகர மீன்தொட்டி (A Magical Aquarium Called The Ocean), சுபா செந்தில்குமார் Subha Senthilkumar
Chinese
《赤脚写诗》, 伊蝉 Yi Chan
《风向鸡 – 李宁强的摄影诗》(Lee Leng Kiong’s Photography Poetry Book), 李宁强 Lee Leng Kiong
《看见》(Seeing), 辛白 Xin Bai
《旅行的困境》(The Harass of Travel), 语凡 Yu Fan
《形成爱》(Love Comes Into Shape), 吴耀宗 Gabriel Wu
《寻找诗》(In Search of Poetry), 刘瑞金 Liu Rui Jin
Bare Footed Poet
English
A Gathering of Themes, Edwin Thumboo
An Epic of Durable Departures, Jason Wee
Gaze Back, Marylyn Tan
parsetreeforestfire, Hamid Roslan
Right of the Soil, Yong Shu Hoong
Creative Non-fiction
Malay
Falsafah Pengkaryaan Melayu Singapura (The Philosophy of Singapore Malay Creative Writing Process), Mohamed Pitchay Gani Mohamed Abdul Aziz
Mengasah Kalam: Membina Kritikan Sastera di Singapura (Jilid 1) (Sharpening of Words: Building Literary Criticism in Singapore (Vol 1)), Suratman Markasan
Tamil
என்னோடு வந்த கவிதைகள் (Poems which Travelled with Me), பிச்சினிக்காடு இளங்கோ Pichinikkadu Elango
கம்பனின் இராமன் மானுடனா மாலவனா? (Is Kamban’s Rama, a Human or a Maalavan?), அ. கி. வரதராசன் A. K. Varadharajan
சிங்கப்பூர்-மலேசியா: தமிழ் இலக்கியத் தடம் சில திருப்பம் (Singapore-Malaysia: A History of Tamil Literature – Some Turning Points),சுப்ரமணியன் பாலபாஸ்கரன் Subramanian Balabaskaran
சிறுகாட்டுச் சுனை (Sirukattu Chunai), அழகுநிலா Azhagunila
வாழைமர நோட்டு (Banana Money), வ ஹேமலதா V. Hemalatha
Chinese
《达哥打》(dakota), 黄凯德 Wong Koi Tet
《蓉子讲中国故事》(China, My Stories), 蓉子 Rong Zi
《我城我语：新加坡地文志》(Our City, Our Language: Chronicling Singapore’s Chinese Language Heritage), 林恩和 Lim Earn Hoe
《远去的硝烟》(The Vanishing Memory), 刘培芳 Low Pooi Fong
《中柬风云六十年》(China-Cambodia Relations In 60 Years), 陈加昌 Chin Kah Chong
English
Hard At Work: Life in Singapore, Ng Shi Wen
Lost at 15, Found at 50, Ashwini Devare
Pulp II: A Visual Bibliography of the Banished Book, Shubigi Rao
This Is What Inequality Looks Like, Teo You Yenn
Fiction
Malay
Warna Sebuah Rahsia (The Colour of Secret), Peter Augustine Goh
Labirin Al Maut (Labyrinth of Al Maut), Noor Aisya Buang (Co-merit winner)
Tunjuk Langit (Pointing the Sky), Jamal Ismail (Co-merit winner)
GOD(A), Jamal Ismail
Tamil
மரயானை (The Wooden Elephant), சித்துராஜ் பொன்ராஜ் Sithuraj Ponraj (Co-merit winner)
ஓந்தி (Gecko), எம்.கே.குமார் MK Kumar
வண்டியும் ஒரு நாள் ஓடத்திலேறும் (Carriage will also board the Barge a day), யூசுப் ராவுத்தர் ரஜித் Yousuf Rowther Rajid
Chinese
《豹变》(Black Panther), 黄凯德 Wong Koi Tet (co-winner)
《建国》(Kian Kok), 谢裕民 Chia Joo Ming (co-winner)
《邻人的运气》(Neighbour’s Luck), 原非 Yuan Fei
《沙漠里的故事》(Desert Stories), 尤今 You Jin
《孕鱼》(Fish Birth), 随庭 Sui Ting
English
Bury What We Cannot Take, Kirstin Chen
Delayed Rays of a Star, Amanda Lee Koe
How We Disappeared, Jing-Jing Lee
Lion City, Ng Yi-Sheng (co-winner)
Modern Myths, Clara Chow
Nimita’s Place, Akshita Nanda (co-winner)
Reader’s Favourite
Malay
Warna Sebuah Rahsia (The Colour of Secret), Peter Augustine Goh
Tamil
வண்டியும் ஒரு நாள் ஓடத்திலேறும் (Carriage will also board the Barge a day), யூசுப் ராவுத்தர் ரஜித் Yousuf Rowther Rajid
Chinese
《风向鸡 – 李宁强的摄影诗》(Lee Leng Kiong’s Photography Poetry Book), 李宁强 Lee Leng Kiong
English
Lost at 15, Found at 50, Ashwini Devare
Author
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