London Book Fair International Excellence Awards shortlists revealed

The shortlists for the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2021 have been revealed, featuring 15 countries across five continents alongside nods for Hachette, Lantana and Springer Nature's inclusivity work in the UK.

Held in partnership with the Publishers Association, the awards are now in their eighth year and this year celebrate publishing achievement across seven categories— a slimmed-down version of last year's 16. The shortlist for each award was selected by a judging panel of experts within that sector.

Among the nominations, Singapore receives its first shortlist entry with Tender Leaves Translation getting recognition for the Literary Translation Initiative Award. The US, meanwhile, leads the way with four shortlist placings.

The UK-only Inclusivity in Publishing Award shortlist features Hachette, Lantana and Springer Nature, all of which have been praised for their diversity and inclusion drives.

In the running for the Rights Professional Award, meanwhile. are Marina Huguet-Cuevas of Spain's Editorial Flamboyant, Nora Mercurio of Germany's Suhrkamp Verlag and Szilvia Molnar from Sterling Lord Literistic in the US.

The winners of this year's awards, as well as the recipient of the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award, will be announced in May. Virtual events with the winners will take place before the London Book Fair, which is going ahead as an online-only event this June.

Andy Ventris, director of the London Book Fair, said: “It is so inspiring to see the incredible work being done by the LBF International Excellence Awards 2021 shortlistees in a year which has challenged every facet of the publishing industry. Facing unprecedented obstacles with determination and creativity, these 15 entries demonstrate the passion that powers the publishing industry all around the globe.

“Books have been a special haven for so many of us in recent times, and we are honoured to celebrate the role our shortlistees have played in bringing reading and knowledge to their communities and beyond. We wish all the shortlistees the best of luck, and look forward to announcing the winners in May.”

Stephen Lotinga, c.e.o. of the Publishers Association, added: “It’s brilliant to see such a great shortlist for this year’s International Excellence Awards. The work being done by publishers, booksellers and librarians around the world is truly inspiring. Especially in such challenging times when books are more important to people than ever. Congratulations to you all.”

The full shortlists are:

The Audiobook Publisher of the Year
ABUK (Ukraine)
Findaway Voices (US)
Macmillan Audio (US)

The Bookstore of the Year Award
Avid Reader (Australia)
Cărturești (Romania)
Livraria Lello (Portugal)

The Educational Learning Resources Award
Good Luck Publishers (India)
Karadi Path Education Company (India)
Words Without Borders (US)

The Library of the Year Award
Ghana Library Authority (Ghana)
Kenya National Library Services - Embu Branch (Kenya)
Public Library “Fran Galovic” Koprivnica (Croatia)

The Literary Translation Initiative Award
Editora Trinta Zero Nove (Mozambique)
Elizabeth Kostova Foundation (Bulgaria)
Tender Leaves Translation (Singapore)
Uebersetzen (Germany)

The Rights Professional Award
Marina Huguet-Cuevas (Spain)
Nora Mercurio (Germany)
Szilvia Molnar (US)

Inclusivity in Publishing Award, supported by the Publishers Association
Hachette
Lantana Publishing
Springer Nature