The other three finalists — each taking home SGD5,000 (RM16,000) — will also have their shortlisted works published in the next half of the year.
“I’d like to firstly congratulate all the other shortlisted finalists. I think their books sound fantastic and I’m really looking forward to reading them,” said Karina during the virtual ceremony.
“And to Epigram, a big thank you to them for continuing to push on and still have this award available to Southeast Asian writers despite challenges of the current times.”
“Last but not least of course, thank you to the judges for selecting my story,” said the winner, who also runs a hotel, restaurant, farm, and a community storytelling initiative in Langkawi.