The $20,000 Epigram Books Fiction Prize, started last year by publisher Epigram Books, is Singapore's richest literary award. It is awarded to the Singaporean, permanent resident or Singapore-born author for the best manuscript of a full-length, original and unpublished novel written in English. The winning entry will also be published by Epigram Books.

Last year's winning entry went to Now That It's Over by author O Thiam Chin. The other shortlisted entries - Sebastian Sim's Let's Give It Up For Gimme Lao!, Wong Souk Yee's Death Of A Perm Sec and Balli Kaur Jaswal's Sugarbread - were also published by Epigram Books.

In the months ahead, the publisher will also bring out three more titles from the longlist: Kevin Martens Wong's Altered Straits, Imran Hashim's Annabelle Thong and Daryl Qilin Yam's Kappa Quartet.

The prize is judged by Epigram Books founder Edmund Wee; Professor Philip Holden from the department of English language and literature at the National University of Singapore; Haresh Sharma, resident playwright at The Necessary Stage; and civil society activist Constance Singam.

The Epigram Books Fiction Prize is open for entries until Sept 1. For details, go to ebfp.epigrambooks.sg

Lee Jian Xuan