TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The winners of the 43th Golden Tripod Award were announced on Monday (Aug. 13), with the Special Contribution Award going to children's book author and researcher Hsing Chia-hui (幸佳慧).

The Ministry of Culture (MOC) announced the recipients of the Golden Tripod Award and the Special Contribution Award, the highest accolade in Taiwan's publishing industry. Among the 1,229 books, magazines, and digital and government publications, awards were handed out to 29 publications and people, while another 45 were recommended as works of high quality.

The panel of judges bestowed the Special Contribution Award upon Hsing Chia-hui, an award-winning author, researcher, and translator and promoter of children's literature. Issues concerning Taiwanese society have been a focal point in Hsing's works, including multiculturalism, transitional justice, gender equality, land identification, and child welfare.

Hsing has found ways to communicate seemingly difficult and serious contemporary issues in today's society. such as social justice, to children. Her work constitutes a "reading social movement" in the field of children's literature, according to the MOC.

Hsing said that she was very surprised when she learned the news and thanked her friends for supporting and motivating her. Hsing's readers have often expressed their gratitude to her because her works enable them to better imagine their children's future, reported the Liberty Times.

The judges of the "book" category noted that the literary book entries ranged from poetry, novels, and prose, while non-literary books included many highly original publications. The judges also expressed their deep appreciation for these works, as they enrich Taiwan's publishing industry as well as create a beautiful world for their readers.

In the "magazine" category, the winners are mainly publications that have maintained excellent quality throughout the years. Entries in the "digital publication" category fully embraced the trend of digitization, creating enticing stories with multimedia and exploring the possibilities of publishing digitally.

Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君), the Minister of Culture, praised the quality of the entries this year and considered the winning works representations of Taiwan's free and well-developed publishing industry. The minister also promised to further support these publications and encourage translating Taiwanese works into foreign languages.

In cooperation with the award, many brick-and-mortar and online bookstores will sell and promote winning works. The award ceremony will be held on Sep. 12 at the Taipei New Horizon Building.

Click here for the complete list of winners and here for the list of recommendations.