Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Award (HABA)

Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award (HABA)

UPDATE: The award ceremony took place on the 23 May 2024

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.

Objectives:

To recognise outstanding published works by Singapore writers and illustrators
To encourage the publication of quality children's books in Singapore

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.

For more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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ABOUT THE JUDGES (2024 EDITION)

Dr Myra Garces Bacsal (Chief Judge) (PH/SG/UAE)

Dr Myra Garces Bacsal is a Teacher Educator and a registered clinical psychologist based in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Prior to moving to the Middle East, she lived for eleven years in Singapore serving as a teacher educator. She has edited five books on rediscovering children’s literature in Asia (with a focus on the Philippines, Malaysia, India, China, Japan) as part of the proceedings for the Asian Festival of Children’s Content where she served as the Chair of the Programme Committee for the Asian Children’s Writers and Illustrators Conference from 2011 until 2019. While she is an academic by day, she is a closet poet and a book hunter at heart.

Dr Eugene Evasco (PH)

Eugene Y. Evasco is a writer, editor, translator, and collector of children’s books. He is currently a Full Professor at the UP College of Arts and Letters. Some of his new books at Lampara are Ang Nag-iisa at Natatanging si Onyok, Ang Singsing-Pari sa Pisara, Ang Beybi naming Mamaw, and the Filipino translation of Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. In 2014, he won the UP Gawad sa Natatanging Publikasyon sa Filipino (Malikhaing Pagsulat category). He became a part of the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2009 and is currently a Fellow of the UP Institute of Creative Writing. He was accepted as a Research Fellow to the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.

Priscilla Tey (SG)

Priscilla Tey is an illustrator and picture book maker. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she loves woolgathering, writing stories and maintains her sheep obsession at healthy levels. Her first picture book In-Between Things was published by Candlewick Press in 2018 and her second book, Twitchy Witchy Itch was published in July 2021. Her third book Counting in Dog Years, written by Betsy Franco (Candlewick Press) was published in October, 2022. Priscilla currently resides in her native country of Singapore, and teaches Art to students of various ages when she is not illustrating.

Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Award Winner List

Shortlists below are not listed in order of merit.

Judging Committee:
Chief Judge: Dr Myra Garces Bacsal
Dr Eugene Y. Evasco
Priscilla Tey

Winners

Middle Grade Category

Amazing Ash and Superhero Ah Ma 2: Coming of Age

Author: Melanie Lee

Illustrator: Arif Rafhan

Picture Book Category

Grandma's Tiger

Author: Alan John

Illustrator: Quek Hong Shin

Shortlist: Picture Book Category

Becoming Margaret Leng Tan

Author: Low Lai Chow

Illustrator: Dan Kuah

Bee Hoon Boy

Author: Ames Chen

Illustrator: Dominic On

Ning and the Night Spirits

Author and Illustrator: Adriena Fong

Shortlist: Middle-grade Book Category

Afterlife: The Boy Next Realm

Author: Gina Chew

Illustrator: Nadhir Nor

Escape from Bussorah Street

Author: A K Zai

Secrets of Singapore: Fabulous Food

Author: Angèle Lee

Illustrator: Elvin Ching

Judging Committee:
Chief Judge: Dr Donna Lim
Adeline Foo
Sydney Smith

Winners

Picture Book Category

Lemonade Sky

Author: J.H. Low

Middle-grade Book Category

Mist-Bound: How to Glue Back Grandpa

Author: Daryl Kho

Shortlists: Picture Book Category

Twitchy Witchy Itch

Author: Priscilla Tey

The Boy Who Talked All Day

Author: Linda Locke

Illustrator: Shermaine Cheong

Mr. Roll Finds New Life

Author: Sophia Huang

Illustrator: EorG

What If the Wind Tears My Kite?

Author: Adia Tay

Shortlists: Middle-grade Book Category

My BFF is an Alien: Sabotage

Author: Vivian Teo

Awesome Women of Singapore

Author: Debbie Chia and Dr Phyllis Chew

Illustrator: 8EyedSpud, Anngee Neo, Arai Kreva, Cheng Puay Koon, Hafi, Kim Ngyuyen, Natalie Christian Tan, Niki Koh, Nisa’ Tuzzakirah S. and Shana Kamaldin

Editor: Margaret Thomas

Judging Committee:
Chief Judge: Dr Donna Lim
Charles Santoso
阿果 (Lee Kow Fong)

Winners

Kelly and the Krumps

Author: Ken Kwek

Illustrator: Lolita Chiong

Shortlists

Jun and the Octopus

Author: Ekkers (Goh Eck Kheng)

Illustrator: Lim An-ling

Panjang: The Tall Boy Who Became Prime Minister

Author: Peh Shing Huei

Illustrator: Drewscape (Andrew Tan)

The Incredible Basket

Author and Illustrator: Quek Hong Shin

We Can

Author and Illustrator: Ben Lai

‘X’ and ‘O’ are B.F.F.s!

Author: Lynette Teo

Illustrator: Xinnie Ng

Winner

Dragonhearted

Author: Xie Shi Min

Shortlists

I Can

Author: Ben Lai

The Amazing Sarong

Author: Quek Hong Shin

Fossil Finders 3: Triassic Trouble

Author: Andy Chua

Illustrator: Ray Ong

Karang Guni Boy

Author: Lorraine Tan

Illustrator: Eric Wong

Mount Emily (Book 1)

Author: Low Ying Ping

Illustrator: Chee Jia Yi

Co-Winners

The Mango Tree

Author: Hidayah Amin

Illustrator: Idris Ali

The Rock and the Bird

Author: Chew Chia Shao Wei

Illustrator: Anngee Neo

Shortlists

Hidden in Plain Sight

Author: Su-Lin Ang

Letters to Aly

Author: Lee-Ann

Not in the Stars

Author: Pauline Loh

The Travel Diary of Amos Lee: Monkeying in Malaysia!

Author: Adeline Foo

Illustrator: Stephanie Wong

Winners

Where's Grandma?

Author: Edmund Lim

Illustrator: Tan Zi Xi

Shortlists

Extraordinary Losers – Operation Pants on Fire

Author: Jessica Alejandro

Illustrator: Cherryn Yap

Farrer Park

Author: Ann Peters

Illustrator: Lydia Yang

The Mudskipper

Author: Ovidia Yu

Judging Committee:
Chairman: Dr. Ken Spillman, Australia
Dr. Noel Chia Kok Hwee, Singapore
Ms. Sayoni Basu, India
Mr. Yusof Gajah, Malaysia
Ms. Zubaidah Mohsen, Singapore

Winners

The Book That Was Handed Down

Author: Yixian Quek

Illustrator: Grace Duan Ying

Shortlists

Bunny Finds The Right Stuff

Author: Emily Lim

Monkey Magic – The Curse of Mukada

Author: Grant S. Clark

The Singapore Kid

Author: Jessica Alejandro

Ten

Author: Shamini Flint

There's Soup on My Fly!

Author: David Seow

I Don't Want Mei Mei Anymore

Author: Lynn Lee

Rochee The Friendliest Cockroach

Author: Gavin Goo Thiam Chuan