Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2024

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Rules and Regulations 

 

1. ELIGIBILITY

• The award is open to all Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents. For books with multiple creators, at least one of the creators (e.g. writer, illustrator), must be a Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident.  
• Books published for general commercial release from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023 are eligible for this award.
• The award is given to published books. We accept submissions in different genres, including fiction and nonfiction. The award will be given to the best book selected by the judges in each category: 

i)  Picture Books: A book containing illustrations and/or words that present a coherent narrative structure. The book should contain not more than 500-700 words and be no more than 40 pages.

ii) Middle Grade Books:  A book for middle-grade readers from 8 to 15 years that may or may not contain illustrations.

• Entries can either be published in Singapore or abroad, but must fall between the specified period of publication from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023.
• Reprints and reissues from previous years are not eligible.

 

2.  SUBJECT AND THEME

• Entries may be on any subject or theme. There is no restriction. 

 

3.  LANGUAGE

• Entries must be published in English. Where appropriate in content, the usage of words or phrases in another language is acceptable.

 

4. ORIGINALITY

• Each entry must be an original work done by the creator(s).

 

5. JUDGING AND SELECTION

• A panel of three judges will be appointed by the Singapore Book Council (SBC) to assess the entries in both categories. 

• The decision of the judges is final and binding. No correspondence in relation to the judges’ decision will be entertained.

• SBC reserves the right to not award a prize should the entries fail, in the judges’ opinion, to meet the expected standard.

 

6. JUDGING CRITERIA

• The Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award is given to a book of outstanding literary value that demonstrates insight into the world of children and young people. Entries are judged based on the following criteria:

i) Originality

ii) the use of language

iii)  a well-constructed plot

iv) consistent and convincing characters

v) engaging synergy of text and illustration (particularly for picture books)

vi) overall aesthetic qualities of the book

vii) impact on readers

• Books belonging to a series are eligible for submission. However, the entry will be judged based on its own merit, separate from its role and relation to other books in the series.   
   

7. SHORTLIST AND AWARD CEREMONY

• SBC will announce the shortlist of books considered for the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award in April 2024. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend the awards ceremony which will take place during the 2024 Asian Festival of Children’s Content (23 – 26 May).

 

8. PRIZE MONEY

• The Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award carries a cash prize of $3,000.00 each for the winning entry in the picture book and middle grade category.
• In the event there are multiple creators for the winning entry, the prize money will be split equally between the creators.

 

9. PUBLICITY AND PROMOTION

• Pre-Award Promotion

SBC will work closely with publishers to promote the shortlisted books. The creators of the shortlisted books should make themselves available for pre-award publicity campaigns as and when required. The creators agree to comply with all reasonable instructions and requests which SBC may stipulate as needed for the purposes of the award.

• Post-Award Promotion

The publisher, along with the writer/illustrator of the winning entry are encouraged to continue promotion of the book after the award ceremony (via book events, media interviews, author talks/workshops etc.) Publishers and distributors of the winning entries must ensure that books supplied to bookstores carry the HABA logo. An appropriate reference on the book jacket should be included for subsequent reprint(s).

 

10. SUBMISSIONS

• All submissions must be done via the online form: https://haba2024.paperform.co   
• The submission can be done by either the creator (author/illustrator) or publisher.
• Applicant(s) may submit more than one title for the award, provided that the books are different and not variations of the same work.
• Four (4) hardcopies of each book should accompany each online submission. One (1) copy of each book will be sent to each judge and will be retained by them. The remaining copy will be retained by SBC for archival and promotional purposes. SBC will not be held responsible for any books that are lost or damaged in transit.
• 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: HABA 2024 
 

• Submissions not accompanied by hardcopies of the books will be considered incomplete and disqualified from judging. Please include a printout of your submission confirmation email with the hardcopies of the books.
• For titles that are not scheduled to be printed by the submission deadline, applicant(s) may attach the FA (final artwork) version of the title, in pdf format, as part of the online submission process. Four (4) hardcopies of the title should be sent to SBC as soon as they are available.
• Late or incomplete submissions will be disqualified.

 

11. CLOSING DATE

• The closing date for submissions via the online form is 24 November (Friday), 2359h (SGT).  
• Hardcopies of the books (for submissions that are printed by the submission deadline) should reach SBC by 27 November (Monday), 1900h (SGT) latest.

 

12. FAQs

• Please refer to the FAQs for further clarifications.