2026 EPIGRAM BOOKS FICTION PRIZE
The Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2026 represents the prize’s most expansive edition to date. Bringing together emerging voices from across Southeast Asia, this year’s edition moves beyond recognition to regional circulation—with the winning and shortlisted manuscripts positioned for publication and readership across ASEAN markets.
We received over 50 submissions from 6 countries:
Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, Brunei and Thailand.
A distinguished judging panel of literary and industry leaders selected the winner and three finalists.
The Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner was held at the Amara Hotel Singapore on 22 January 2026.
The winning and shortlisted manuscripts to be published across multiple ASEAN markets by our regional publishing partners:
PT. Elex Media Komputindo, a Gramedia company (Indonesia)
River Books (Thailand)
Milflores Publishing (Philippines)
The Bibliopress (Malaysia)
NDSP Books (Myanmar)
2026 Judging Panel
The judging panel for the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize brought together a dynamic mix of literary veterans, publishing professionals and leading figures from the creative industry. The panel includes Professor Rajeev Patke, academic and literary scholar; Andrea Pasion-Flores, publisher of Milflores Publishing (PH); Anthony Chen, award-winning Singaporean writer, director and producer; and Emily Yiu, Chief Executive Officer of POPULAR Singapore.
The panel was chaired by Edmund Wee, founder and publisher of Epigram Books, who has served as chair since the Prize’s inception.
2026 WINNER & SHORTLIST
Ratna Damayanti Taha
(WINNER) SINGAPORE
Jaclyn Lim
SINGAPORE
Kwan Ann Tan
MALAYSIA
May Thanakhar
MYANMAR
2026 longlist
Kathrina Mohd Daud (BR)
Ning De-Eknamkul (TH)
Sandy Young (SG)
Sebastian Sim (SG)
the Awards Ceremony and gala dinner
The evening brought together 80 guests from across the literary, media and publishing community. The evening opened with a commemorative 10 Years of EBFP video and an address by Edmund Wee, publisher of Epigram Books. Finalist manuscripts were introduced through book trailers during the dinner programme. Representing the judging panel, Anthony Chen delivered the judges’ remarks and announced the winner, who gave an acceptance speech to close the ceremony.
Regional Publication Rollout
All four shortlisted works of the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize will be published not only in Singapore but concurrently in five additional ASEAN markets—Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Myanmar—significantly expanding the regional circulation of Southeast Asian fiction.
The multi-territory publishing agreement was signed at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2025, bringing together publishing partners across the region in a shared commitment to strengthening cross-border literary exchange.
Publication Months:
July 2026
Mind the Gap
August 2026
A Strange Case of Erasure
September 2026
Take Me Back to Yangon
October 2026
A Family Inconvenience
Regional Publishing Partners
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PT. Elex Media Komputindo, established in 1985 under the Kompas Gramedia Group, is a major force in Indonesia’s publishing industry. With extensive national distribution, it pioneered manga publishing and remains a key player in fiction and translated literature.
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River Books is a Bangkok-based independent publisher founded in 1989 by Narisa Chakrabongse. The press has spent over 30 years publishing titles on Southeast Asian art, history and culture, and in recent years has developed a fiction list, including literature in translation.
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Milflores Publishing is an independent Philippine publisher with a stated mission to produce books that spark conversations, promote learning, and fuel the imagination. The company maintains an active catalogue and also circulates a film rights catalogue for its titles.
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The Biblio Press is a Malaysia-based publisher in Petaling Jaya. The press focuses on Malay-language publishing, including translations of major international works as well as locally engaged, critical titles. With strong distribution channels in Malaysia and across ASEAN, Bibliopress is recognised for shaping Malaysia’s literary identity and fostering cross-border cultural exchange.
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NDSP is a Myanmar publishing company known for publishing translated works and for acquiring international rights for translation, and it was a finalist for the International Publishers Association’s Freedom to Publish Prize (2014). NDSP has also operated specialised imprints, including Yoke Pya (comics and picture books).
2026 SPONSORS
OUR FUNDRAISING PARTNER
OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS
OUR INDIVIDUAL SPONSORS
SUON KUOK
MEIRA CHAND
NIRU PILLAI
HONG HAI
KISHORE MAHBUBANI
RICCA LUI
RENITA SIRISENA
DAVID STRINGER & IRENE LIM
CHEONG YIP SENG • BELLA CHIN
SERINA GOH & JASON WANG
BILAHARI KAUSIKAN
KOH BOON LONG
TOMMY KOH
JOHN PANG • SYLVIA TAN
MICHAEL TEH & JAZREEL LOW
TONIA TSJENG • WONG SENG HON
ANNABELLE YIP
KC CHEW • JANE GOH • LEE GEOK BOI
LINDA LOCKE • ZERO NALPON • SARA NG
YEOH CHEE KOON • PAULINE GAN
HO TING FEI • KATHERINE KRUMMERT
LEE OI HAR • VIKI LEUNG
TAY BOON GEK • KHOO KIM CHOO
And our thanks to the donors who requested anonymity.