Tuesday evening’s London Book Fair International Excllence Awards included The Bookseller-sponsored Adult Trade Publisher Award, conferred on Paris-based Actes Sud. Image: Porter Anderson

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

Gail, Baroness Rebuck: Lifetime Achievement Award

At the close of London Book Fair’s first of three days at the Olympia London Complex, winners of the Fair’s International Excellence Awards have been announced, in association with the UK’s Publishers Association. The sponsor for the awards this year is Hytex.

In the most extensively celebrated award of the evening, the Baroness Gail Rebuck, DBE, Chair of Penguin Random House UK, was given the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award. [Read Rebuck’s keynote address to the Quantum Conference here.]

In a new and popular category this year, Bookstore of the Year went to Melbourne’s Readings, commended in Monday evening’s ceremony (April 12) “for “its community outreach, support of Australian authors and its help for non-profit organisations working on literacy initiatives.”

French publisher Actes Sud took home The Bookseller Adult Trade Publisher Award and was cited for its “depth and breadth of publishing, second-to-none design and production values, and a ground-breaking list”. The judges also praised its imprint Sindbad “which champions writing from the Arabic and Muslim worlds.”

The United States, like China, won two awards:

• Words Without Borders won The Publishers Weekly Literary Translation Initiative Award with judges reflecting that “literature in the translation sector is flourishing with momentum, passion and innovation”.
• In The Global Rights 365 Literary Agent Award category, New-York-based The Barbara J. Zitwer Agency — previously nominated for The Outstanding Contribution Award 2014 — took the prize and was praised for “for the grace and persistence” of Zitwer’s dealings.

China’s two awards were:

• The Children’s and Young Adult Trade Publisher Award, presented to Jieli Publishing House Co. Ltd in recognition of “its broad and inclusive approach” and its catalog reflecting “the best of both home-grown and international authors and books.”
• The Market Focus Achievement Award, accepted by government-owned CNPIEC (China National Publications Import & Export).

At the late-day ceremony and reception, Jacks Thomas, London Book Fair Director, said:

“The awards represent the very best the publishing industry has to offer across the globe, and we were delighted to see winners from countries as far afield as Sudan, France, Poland, New Zealand and Brazil.

“For me, meeting and celebrating these publishers’ hard work, dedication and talent is such a fundamental part of the Book Fair,” Thomas said. “It is these inspiring companies and people around the world who make publishing such a special industry, that I am privileged to work in.”

Stephen Lotinga, who recently has taken up his post as chief of the Publishers Association, said:

“The International Excellence Awards provide an incredible opportunity to recognize achievements within the publishing industry globally. It showcases the wealth of cultural diversity driving the production of enriching works enjoyed by people worldwide.

“From France to New Zealand, from Sudan to China,” Lotinga said, “the commitment and dedication demonstrated by the publishers has been none other than inspirational and it has been an honour to hear their stories and celebrate as part of the London Book Fair.”

2016 International Excellence Awards

• 

  The Trade Children’s and Young Adult Publisher Award went to Jieli Publishing House Co. Ltd, and was presented by Oneworld’s Sarah Odedina. Image: Porter Anderson

  The Bookstore of the Year Award: Readings (Australia)

• The Literary Festival Award: Flupp (Brazil)
• The Publishers Weekly Literary Translation Initiative Award: Words without Borders (US)
• The Academic and Professional Publisher Award: Auckland University Press (New Zealand)
• The Trade Children’s and Young Adult Publisher Award: Jieli Publishing House Co. Ltd (China)
• The Bookseller Adult Trade Publisher Award: Actes Sud (France)
• The China Publishing & Media Journal Educational Learning Resources Award: SuperMemo World sp. z o.o. (Poland)
• The Global Rights 365 Literary Agent Award: The Barbara J. Zitwer Agency (US)
• The Education Initiatives Award: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) (Sudan)
• The Market Focus Achievement Award: Market Focus China (China)
• The Total Licensing IP Rights Across Media Award: The Night Zookeeper (UK)
• Also presented were several awards held in association with The London Book Fair:
• The London Book Fair Simon Master Chairman’s Award: Ernest Hecht (UK)
• The Quantum Publishing Innovation Award: Reedsy [See a story on the competition for the Quantum award here]
• The IPA Prix Voltaire 2016:  Raif Badawi (Saudi Arabia)
• The London Book Fair Trailblazer Awards:
  • George Burgess, Entrepreneur and Marketing Lead at Gojimo (UK)
  • Clio Cornish, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins
  • Nick Coveney, Head of Digital at Kings Road Publishing
  • Ella Kahn, Co-Founder of DKW Literary Agency & Bryony Woods, Co-Founder of DKW Literary Agency
• The Association for Publishing Education Dissertation and Project Prizes
  • Best Dissertation for a Postgraduate: Veronica Morgan, University College London
  • Best Dissertation for an Undergraduate: Fiona Parker, Loughborough University (BA Publishing with English)
  • Best Overall Project: Amy Ellis, Oxford Brookes University
• Accessible Books Consortium Award for Accessible Publishing: Initiative (Joint winner;
  • Action on Disability Rights and Development (ADRAD) (Nepal)
  • DK & the DK Braille Concept Development Team (UK)
• Accessible Books Consortium Award for Accessible Publishing: Publisher:   Elsevier B.V
• The London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award: Gail, Baroness Rebuck, DBE, Chair of Penguin Random House, UK

In each award category the judging panel was made up of experts in that sector.