Inaugurated in 1979 by Thai Airways and the Oriental Hotel Bangkok to encourage writers in the ASEAN countries and bring recognition to the creative literary talents of the region, the SEA Write Awards or South East Asian Writers Awards have contributed greatly to the promotion of literature in the 10 ASEAN nations of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam. The awards are given in the four categories of fiction novels, non-fiction novels, short stories and poetry. The SEA Write Awards are given out each October in a gala ceremony at the Oriental Hotel Bangkok.