By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
Frankfurter Buchmesse announced the two honorees of this year’s Wildcard for Publishing Partners: German software company Garage51 and Irish tech start-up Druid Learning. Each winner will receive a free 8 square meter exhibition stand at this fall’s book fair (October 7-11). The program, which Publishing Perspectives previously interviewed FBM Key Account Manager Barbara Roelle about, is designed to bring service providers who can play a key role in innovating or improving the industry to Frankfurt for the first time.The 2026 Wildcard for Publishing Partners was awarded in two categories: one for a company from the DACH region and one for an international company. This year, there were a total of 540 applications.
From the DACH region, Frankfurt-based Garage51 is an innovative digital design studio which brings content into digital formats such as augmented reality (AR), 3D, and mobile apps, with a particular focus on immersive learning.
“We are delighted to be participating in FBM26 as a Frankfurt-based software studio. Of course, local patriotism plays a role, but above all, we will be immersing ourselves in our ‘Digital Story Lab’ together with readers, bookshops, online retailers and publishers,” said Sven Schondelmaier, Director Digital Experience at Garage51.
“Here, we will show how printed text can be turned into digital, interactive experiences. Our approach is to make knowledge transfer accessible, enable immersive learning and create sustainable brand experiences and vibrant communities.”
The international wildcard winner, Druid Learning, based in Dublin, adapts content archives into AI-ready datasets for publishing workflows without altering source content or requiring publishers to compromise data ownership.
By enriching the metadata and content structures, publishers are able to use their own archives to power AI applications.
“I am delighted to be selected as a 2026 wildcard. Innovation versus data sovereignty should never be a choice, AI applications powered by a company’s own content archives is a realistic and achievable expectation,” said Niamh Faller, founder and CEO Druid Learning. “I believe the publishing sector can lead AI innovation while retaining full control over proprietary data. I look forward to exploring this topic further at Frankfurter Buchmesse.”
Both Garage51 and Druid Learning will have their booths in Hall 4.1 alongside international publishers and institutions from the fields of science, specialist information and education.