About the Book Awards

Introduced in 2012, the annual Singapore Book Awards organised by the SBPA recognise the best in Singapore book publishing. The awards span categories including literary work, education titles, professional titles, children's books and various categories of non-fiction, as well as the prestigious Book of the Year title chosen from subsidiary award winners.

Books considered for the Singapore Book Awards must:

i) Be published in one of the four official languages of Singapore.
ii) Have a Singapore ISBN number, and hard copies must be legally deposited with the National Library Board.
iii) Books that are sold in print must be sold in retail stores locally and/or overseas.
iv) Be published in the calendar year before the Awards (ie for the 2023 Awards, books should have been published in 2022)

Translated works (from a foreign language to a Singapore official language) are also acceptable, provided that they meet the above criteria.

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Finalists of the 2023 Book Awards

We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2023 Singapore Book Awards! We received over 130 submissions across 9 categories. Thank you to all the publishers who nominated books, each representing the breadth and vibrancy of our local publishing scene in the year 2022.

BEST NON-FICTION TITLE

WINNER: The Comfort Women of Singapore in History and Memory, by Kevin Blackburn (NUS Press)

FINALISTS

• Searching for Lee Wen: A Life in 135 Parts, by Chan Li Shan (Epigram Books)
• Small States In A Big World: Size Is Not A Destiny, by Tommy Koh (Straits Times Press)
• One United People: Essays from the People Sector on Singapore’s Journey of Racial Harmony, by Koh Buck Song (Marshall Cavendish International Asia)

BEST LITERARY WORK

WINNER: Work-Life Balance: Malevolent Managers and Folkloric Freelancers, by Benjamin Chee & Wayne Rée (Difference Engine)

FINALISTS

• The Accidental Malay, by Karina Robles Bahrin (Epigram Books)
• Dearest Intimate, by Suchen Christine Lim (Marshall Cavendish International Asia)
• The House of Little Sisters, by Eva Wong Nava (Penguin Random House SEA)

BEST ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION

WINNER: Eat Here or Take Away: All About Singapore Hawker Culture, by various contributors (Landmark Books)

FINALISTS

• A Cry in the Dark: A Stroke Survivor’s Story of Hope and Recovery, by Radiance Leong and Terence Ang (Focus Publishing)
• The Pandemic Cookbook, by Hsu Li Yang & Sonny Liew (Epigram Books)
• Heritage Shops of Singapore, by Steve Golden (Talisman Publishing)
• The Tea Sommelier: The Art of Selecting, Pairing and Appreciating the World’s Finest Teas, by Tea Parker (Chih Jung-Sien) (Marshall Cavendish International Asia)

BEST YOUNG PERSONS TITLE

WINNER: Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma #2: Coming of Age, by Melanie Lee & Arif Rafhan (Difference Engine)

FINALISTS

• Secrets of Singapore: Fabulous Food, by Angèle Lee, Elvin Ching (Epigram Books)
• Sherlock Sam and the Kidnapped Gamer in Taipei, by AJ Low (Epigram Books)
• Screen Smart: Growing Up in the Digital Age, by May O. Lwin, Wonsun Shin & Alan Bay (World Scientific Education)

BEST CUSTOM PUBLISHING TITLE

WINNER: A Reverent Journey: Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, edited by Sharifah Zahra Aljunied & Syed Abdullah Abdul Rahman Aljunied (Opus Editorial Pte Ltd)

FINALISTS

• Hinduism in Singapore and the Hindu Endowments Board, by Lavanya Balachandran, Sylvia Koh (Marshall Cavendish International Asia)
• A Blossoming City Garden: 10 Years Of Gardens By The Bay, by Audrey Tan (Straits Times Press)
• Coming Together: Caring as One in the COVID-19 Journey, by Tan Tock Seng Hospital (Write Editions)

BEST PROFESSIONAL TITLE

WINNER: The Millennial Leader: Working across Generations in the New Normal, by Vivek Iyyani (Penguin Random House SEA)

OTHER FINALISTS

• The Great Career Paradox: When pursuing career success may not lead to career happiness, by Adrian Choo & Sze-Yen Chee (Penguin Random House SEA)
• Start With Who: Reveal the Hidden Power of Identity to Create a Purposeful Life, by Marcus Marsden (Candid Creation Publishing)
• Wealth Wisdom for Everyone: An Easy-To-Use Guide to Personal Financial Planning and Wealth Creation, by Mark Daniell & Karin Sixl-Daniell (World Scientific)

BEST COVER DESIGN

WINNER: M/other: 20 Powerful Stories of Parental Love Against All Odds, Creative Director Lock Hong Liang (Straits Times Press)

OTHER FINALISTS

• In This Together: Singapore's COVID-19 Story, Creative Director Lock Hong Liang (Straits Times Press)
• Depression: The Misunderstood Illness (Armour Publishing)
• A Reverent Journey: Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka (Opus Editorial Pte Ltd)
• A Cry in the Dark: A Stroke Survivor’s Story of Hope and Recovery, Designers Janice Tan & Alex Goh (Focus Publishing) 

BEST PICTURE BOOK

WINNER: Grandma’s Tiger, by Alan John & Quek Hong Shin (Straits Times Press)

OTHER FINALISTS

• Tribeca, by Howard Pearlstein, Amanda Pearlstein, Renate Potter (Marshall Cavendish International)
• Catch Mee If You Can: Find the Noodles, Eat the Noodles!, by Low Lai Chow & Lee Jia Zhen (Epigram Books)
• Where Shall I Sleep Tonight? by Joanne Poon & Heng Li Ching (Landmark Books Pte Ltd)

BEST EDUCATIONAL TITLE

WINNER: The Intertidal Adventures of BioGirl MJ, by Man Jing Kong & Raye Ng (World Scientific Education)

OTHER FINALISTS

• INSPIRE, by Shoba Nair, Azura Azmir & Khairina Marzuki (ILOVEREADING.SG)
• New Discovering Mathematics 3A, by Chow Wai Keung, Dr Ng Kok Min, Huo Da (Star Publishing Pte Ltd)
• My Pals are Here! Maths 4th Edition Pupil’s Book 1A, by Dr. Fong Ho Kheong, Dr. Darren J. Yeo, Dr. Foo Kum Fong & Julia Fong (Marshall Cavendish Education)