Singapore, 26 May 2010 --- The Singapore Book Fair 2010（新加坡书展）will open this Friday, 28 May at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre Exhibition, Hall 402 - 404.

About 100 exhibitors from 10 countries across Asia will showcase over 300,000 books, as well as teachers’ resource and supplementary materials, educational products, periodicals, enrichment programmes and software.

Jointly organised by Singapore Press Holdings' Chinese Newspapers Division and Marshall Cavendish Business Information Pte Ltd, the nation's premier event will also play host to the ASEAN Book Publishers Association (ABPA), which brings together 8 national book publishers' associations from Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

To foster the reading habit amongst the young, the organisers, with the support of Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, have issued $50,000 book vouchers to 1,250 needy children through four self-help groups: the Chinese Development Assistance Council, Mendaki, Sinda and the Singapore Eurasian Association. This donation amount has been increased from the $30,000 last year. Each child will receive $40 worth of book vouchers to purchase his or her favourite books or text books at the fair.

Over 400,000 visitors are expected to attend the fair. Apart from the books galore, visitors can also look forward to other activities including book launches, meet-the-author sessions, educational talks, industry focused seminars, magic shows and treasure hunts.

Dr Amy Khor, Mayor of South West District, will officiate this year’s opening on 29 May 2010. She will also present the Inspiring Chinese Language Teachers Awards（全国模范华文教师奖） to the 14 winners. (For details on the award, please refer to information enclosed)

• Download TA2010Winner (english) (70 KB)

The Singapore Book Fair is jointly organised by SPH's Chinese Newspapers Division (新加坡报业控股华文报集团) and Marshall Cavendish Business Information Pte Ltd (名创商业资讯私人有限公司), and supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education（新加坡教育部）, National Library Board（国家图书馆管理局）, ASEAN Book Publishers Association（亚细安图书出版协会）, Singapore Book Publishers Association（新加坡出版商协会）, National Book Development Council of Singapore（全国书籍发展理事会）, The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min Daily News, My Paper and Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre（新加坡国际会议与展览中心).

Books galore

A wide range of books is available at the fair, including English and Chinese fiction and non-fiction, children’s literature, magazines, comics, motivational & self-help books, novels, short stories, biographies as well as books on travel and nature. In addition, there are also IQ games, electronic educational materials and software.

Best Sellers & New Title Showcase（最畅销与新书籍展示）

Selected best-sellers and newly-launched titles will be displayed at the exhibition.

Meet-the-author sessions with renowned authors

The following renowned authors and educationists will make special appearances at the book fair to autograph their books.

Local authors:
Ms Adeline Foo – creator of ranting toilet diarist Amos Lee, will make a guest appearance. Adeline recently received the inaugural Red Dot Awards, junior category, for her book, ‘The Diary of Amos Lee’. She has since published a sequel, ‘The Diary of Amos Lee: Girls, Guts & Glory.'

Ms Choo Lian Liang – Well-known television producer turned writer, who recently published the bestseller “Zhui Hong” （追虹）(Chasing The Rainbow) – a story about her family spanning four generations.

Overseas authors:
Prof Ko Hwa-Wei柯华葳教授 - Distinguished Professor of Graduate Institute of Learning and instruction of Taiwan National Central University,
specialising in the research and study on reading development and psychology. Her two recent books are on teaching kids to read. The talk cum autograph session will be held on 30 May 2010, 5pm - 6pm, at Hall 404 activity stage.

Ms Xing Huen邢渲- Since childhood, Xing Huen can predict the future and see the soul of the deceased. She also has the ability to view the past lives of others. She will be at the fair to share her interesting and unusual experiences. Her series of books, published in Taiwan, are in popular demand. The talk cum autograph session will be held on 5 June 2010, 7.30pm - 9pm, at Hall 404 activity stage.

“Modern Science, Technology & Traditional Chinese Medicine” Exhibition （现代科技与中药展览）

Organised by the Singapore Chinese Druggists Association, this inaugural exhibition is the largest event for the Association to date. It aims to foster interest in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in Singapore.

The exhibition will showcase the rich cultural history as well as the advances and various aspects of Chinese medicine. A massage booth will be set up to provide free massage and consultation services. Students from the Nanyang Polytechnic, Anglo-Chinese Junior College and Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School will guide visitors through the exhibition.

Guest speakers from the Health Sciences Authority such as Mr Yee Shen Kuan (senior advisor, health products regulation group), Ms Lee Puay Ngee (acting director, complementary health products branch) and Mr Victor Wong (deputy director, Chinese proprietary medicines) will give public lectures on 29 May 2010. Master Chef Huang Ching Biao will give a demonstration on exquisite health dishes. He will be available for an interview thereafter.
Visit www.scda.org.sg for more information.

Energy Challenge Fair (省电大挑战会展)

Held in conjunction with the Singapore Book Fair, the Energy Challenge Fair 2010 (ECF 2010) is jointly organised by National Environment Agency and SPH's Chinese Newspapers Division. It is an educational event that aims to showcase the latest innovations in energy and water efficient products, as well as to support market transformation of the appliance industry towards energy and water efficiency. The event serves not just as a platform for the public to purchase energy and water efficient products, but also to increase awareness and bring about a change in consumer behaviour towards more energy efficient products.

Promoting Youth Olympic Games 2010

Singapore Book Fair will be working with the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) organisers to promote the sports culture amongst Singaporeans. Singapore will be hosting the inaugural YOG from 14 to 26 August 2010. Young athletes, aged between 14 and 18 years, will compete in 26 sports and take part in a Culture and Education Programme (CEP). The CEP aims to educate, engage and encourage athletes to be true to the spirit of the Olympic Movement, by adopting the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect, and playing active roles in their communities. It will create a lasting sports, culture and education legacy for Singapore and youths from around the world, as well as enhance and elevate the sporting culture locally and regionally.

Fun-filled activities and educational talks cum seminars

At the Stage Activity Area, there will be a host of activities to entertain and educate visitors of all ages. There will be talks and seminars in English and Mandarin, story-telling sessions, competitions, performances and games. Educationalists such as Nishant Kasibhatla, a world record holder and the only grand Master of Memory in Singapore; Mr Gu Jian Ping（顾建平）and Ms Chang Mei Xiang, both educationalists specialising in Mandarin, will speak at the seminars.

In addition, the following finals of four national schools’ competitions will also be held at the fair:

· Singapore-Malaysia Primary School Bilingual Olympiad 2010

（2010年新马小学双语奥林匹克竞赛）

· National Secondary Schools Xiang Sheng Competition 2010

（2010年全国中学相声比赛）

· National Secondary Schools News Production Competition Award Ceremony 2010

（2010年全国中学生华语新闻短片制作大赛颁奖礼）

· National Chinese Folk Song Singing Competition for Primary Schools 2010

（2010年全国小学生华语歌谣唱游比赛决赛暨颁奖礼）

To celebrate the 25^th year of Singapore Book Fair, visitors will be entitled to a lucky draw coupon for every $25 spent at the fair. Among the attractive prizes to be won are laptops, home electronic products and electronic gadgets such as iPod, digital cameras and printers.

Visit the Singapore Book Fair website at www.bookfair.com.sg for more information.

Jointly issued by Singapore Press Holdings （新加坡报业控股）and Marshall Cavendish Business Information Pte Ltd (名创出版集团)

For more information, please contact:

Susan Tan
Assistant Manager, Cultural Industry Promotion
Chinese Newspapers Division
Singapore Press Holdings
Tel: 6319 1902
Fax: 6319 8114
Email: tanccs@sph.com.sg

Christine Ng
Manager, Exhibition Sales
Marshall Cavendish Business Information Pte Ltd
Tel: 6213 9428
Fax: 6285 0161
Email: christineng@sg.marshallcavendish.com

Francis Mah
Manager
Corporate Communications Division
Singapore Press Holdings
Tel: 6319 1028
E-mail: mahys@sph.com.sg

About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Incorporated in 1984, main board-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009.  It is Southeast Asia’s leading media organisation, engaging minds and enriching lives across multiple languages and platforms.

Newspapers and Magazines
In Singapore, SPH publishes 17 newspaper titles in four languages. Every day, 3 million individuals or 79 per cent of people above 15 years old, read one of SPH's news publications. SPH also publishes and produces more than 100 magazine titles in Singapore and the region, covering a broad range of interests from lifestyle to information technology.

Internet and Mobile
Beyond print, the Internet editions of SPH newspapers enjoy over 225 million pageviews with 14 million unique visitors every month. Apart from SPH AsiaOne portal, SPH's online and new media initiatives include an online marketplace for products, services and employment, ST701; local search and directory engine, rednano.sg; Stomp (Straits Times Online Mobile Print), a portal that connects, engages and interacts with readers on the Web and via mobile phone messaging; omy.sg, a bilingual news and interactive portal and The Straits Times RazorTV, a free access interactive webcast service offering live chat shows and video-on-demand clips.

Broadcasting
SPH has a 20 per cent stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels 5, 8 and U, and a 40 per cent stake in MediaCorp Press Limited, which publishes the free newspaper, Today. In the radio business, SPH has an 80 per cent stake in SPH UnionWorks Pte Ltd, which operates entertainment stations Radio 100.3 in Mandarin and 91.3FM in English.

Events and Outdoor Advertising
SPH’s events subsidiary Sphere Exhibits organises innovative consumer and trade events and exhibitions. In addition, SPH has ventured into out-of-home (OOH) advertising through its wholly-owned subsidiary, SPH MediaBoxOffice Pte Ltd, Singapore’s largest outdoor motion display advertising network media company.

Properties
SPH owns and manages Paragon, the prime retail and office complex in the heart of Orchard Road, Singapore's main shopping belt. SPH's wholly-owned subsidiary, Times Development Pte Ltd, is also developing a 43-storey upmarket residential condominium, Sky@eleven, at Thomson Road.