Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao unveiled the winners of its Annual Book Awards on May 1. Among the standout titles this year was "Komorebi – Stories of Light", the debut travel photography collection independently published by Malaysian travel writer and photographer Ling Doh Kin. The work emerged from a competitive field to win the “Best Book Design Award,” establishing itself as one of the year’s most notable visual publications. Another Malaysian author, Seng Jing Fei, received the “Best Debut Book Award” for her first essay collection, "A Cheese of One’s Own".
Established in 2016, the Lianhe Zaobao Annual Book Awards marks its 11th edition this year, with the aim of discovering and encouraging emerging voices in Chinese-language literature. This year’s award presentation ceremony was held at The Arts House, alongside the opening of the fourth edition of the City Reading Festival. Works by Singapore citizens or permanent residents, published locally or overseas, were eligible for consideration.
The selection process consisted of preliminary and final judging rounds. The preliminary review was conducted by the Lianhe Zaobao Features Desk, while the final judging panel comprised writers Xi Ni Er, Yu Yun, and Liu Su. The “Best Book Design Award” was judged by veteran advertising professional Norman Tan and cartoonist Liu Xiazong. A total of 82 Chinese-language titles were submitted this year, with 17 shortlisted and 11 ultimately selected for the final honors list.
"Komorebi – Stories of Light" captivated the design judges with its unconventional “poster-book” concept. The work consists of 24 B2-sized posters paired with miniature essays, all housed within a boxed set. Readers may freely draw out individual sheets, reading the accompanying text and imagery as they would a book, or fully unfold them into large-format posters. Spanning 17 destinations — from islands and forests to overlooked urban corners — the collection uses a restrained and delicate visual language to capture the movement and stillness of light within everyday spaces.
In his acceptance remarks, Ling expressed his delight that independent publishing had found recognition.
“This book took eight years to come together. Throughout those years, I was constantly searching for breakthroughs in design. Some people said I was crazy — in an age where both words and images can be generated so easily, I chose a method that was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly to publish a photography collection. But I believe it was worth it, because this book preserves stories and images that deserve to remain.”
He added that the design of "Komorebi – Stories of Light" was intentionally minimal and restrained, with the hope that readers would pause when opening its pages, rediscovering the subtle beauty of everyday life and the fleeting glimmers of humanity that quietly appear within it.
One of the “Best Book Design” judges, Norman Tan, shared that among the shortlisted works, "Komorebi – Stories of Light" resonated with him the most. “It doesn’t feel like a typical book, but more like a booklet that you can casually flip through without reading from beginning to end. It can sit on a coffee table, and when friends come over, they may notice it and ask, ‘What is this?’ At that moment, the book achieves something beyond reading — it becomes something to be shared.”
Seng Jing Fei’s "A Cheese of One’s Own" is one of the titles published under Singapore City Book Room’s “First Book” initiative. The collection chronicles nearly six years of travel and temporary living experiences, beginning in Singapore and Malaysia before extending to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and various parts of Europe. Moving from student life into early adulthood, the essays collectively mirror a personal journey of growth. Reflecting on the award, Sun said: “To leave is ultimately to look back at oneself, and through writing, to find a place of belonging. Receiving recognition from the Lianhe Zaobao Book Awards means that writing is no longer a solitary journey.”