Record number of countries shortlisted for LBF International Excellence Awards 2020

A record 29 countries have been shortlisted for the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2020.

The awards, held in partnership with the UK Publishers Association, celebrate publishing success in 16 categories, representing the best publishing ambassadors, innovative publishing, and ground-breaking initiatives in the industry. In each award category, the judging panel was comprised of experts in that sector.

Colombia, Croatia, Mozambique, Uganda and Yemen have been shortlisted for the first time, with the US, India, Egypt, Canada, Germany and New Zealand all receiving multiple nominations.

Yemen Bookstore, Estonia's Rahava Raamat AS and 2019 shortlistee Unity Books in New Zealand, are in the running for Bookstore of the Year, sponsored by Gardners.

Rights Professional of the Year, sponsored by Sharjah Book Authority, sees Tuomas Sorjamaa from agency Finnish Ferly go up against Stephanie Barrouillet from SB Rights Agency in Israel and Mexico's Gabriel Nieto from Planeta while festivals across the world are nominated for Literary Festival of the Year, with Frankfurt liest ein Buch, Croatia's Festival of World Literature and Indonesia's Macassar International Writers’ Festival (Indonesia), all in the running.

Indian company Karadi Path Education Company has received nominations in two categories – The Education Initiatives Award and The Education Learning Resources Award – while Karadi Tales (also shortlisted in 2019) is in the running for Audiobook Publisher of the Year Award.

The winners of several other awards will also be presented on the night including the Simon Master’s Chairman Award and the Association for Publishing Education (APE) Student Awards. The London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented at the ceremony.

LBF director Jacks Thomas said: "This record number of countries shortlisted for the seventh LBF International Excellence Awards ‚Äì with entries from 29 countries ‚Äì really does shout that the global book industry continues to thrive through innovation, inspiration and sheer hard work across the globe. The awards capture the passion that underpins the commitment of those working in this global village to share the power of books. The geographic range entering cements these awards as the pivotal event celebrating global excellence in the publishing industry. It‚Äôs wonderful to give all shortlistees the international platform at the Book Fair to showcase their success. We look forward to welcoming this great line-up in March and wish everyone the best of luck.”

Publishers Association c.e.o. Stephen Lotinga added: “It‚Äôs a real pleasure to see the variety and quality of the shortlists this year. Publishing is an inherently international industry and these awards celebrate those around the world who champion reading and learning. Congratulations to all those shortlisted and we very much look forward to celebrating these awards at The London Book Fair in March.”

The full shortlist of The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards is:

The Academic and Professional Publisher Award
Brookings Institution Press (USA)
Princeton University Press (USA)

The Audiobook Publisher of the Year
Karadi Tales (India)
Penguin Random House (USA)

The Bookstore of the Year Award, sponsored by Gardners
Rahva Raamat AS (Estonia)
Unity Books (New Zealand)
Yemen Bookstore (Yemen)

The Educational Initiatives Award
Book Aid International (UK/Kenya)
Karadi Path Education Company (India)
World Literacy Foundation (UK/Uganda and Columbia)

The Educational Learning Resources Award, supported by The China Publishing & Media Journal
Apicula Verlag, GMbH (Germany)
Caramel Tree (Canada)
Karadi Path Education Company (India)

The Library of the Year Award
City of Johannesburg Libraries (South Africa)
Maadi Public Library (Egypt)
Shanghai Library (China)

The Literary Translation Initiative Award
Gecko Press (New Zealand)
SM Traducoes (Mozambique)
Yiddish Book Centre (USA)

The Literary Agent Award
Elina Ahlback - Elina Ahlback Literary Agency Ltd (Finland)
Maria Lynch - Casanovas & Lynch Literary Agency (Spain)
Yasmina Jraissatie - RAYA The Agency for Arabic Literature (France)

The Literary Festival Award
Festival of World Literature (Croatia)
Frankfurt liest ein Buch (Germany)
Macassar international Writers’ Festival (Indonesia)

The Rights Professional Award, sponsored by Sharjah Book Authority
Gabriel Nieto, Planeta (Mexico)
Stephanie Barrouillet, SB Rights Agency (Israel)
Tuomas Sorjamaa, Ferly (Finland)

The Market Focus Sharjah Adult Trade Award
Arab Scientific Publishers (Egypt)
Dar Al Adab (Lebanon)
Kalimat (UAE)

The Market Focus Sharjah Children’s, Young Adult and Education Award
ABC Publishers (Jordan)
Dar Rabie Publishing (UAE)
Kalimat (A Kalimat Group Company, UAE)

Accessible Books Consortium International Excellence Award: Publisher
Ediciones Godot (Argentina)
House of Anansi Press (Canada)
Macmillan Learning (USA)

Accessible Books Consortium International Excellence Award: Initiative
EIFL - Electronic Information for Libraries (Lithuania)
Fondazione LIA (Italy)
Kalimat Foundation for Children Empowerment (UAE)

Inclusivity in Publishing Award, supported by the Publishers Association (Eligible for entries from the UK only)
Bonnier
Hachette
Springer Nature

The LBF International Excellence Awards ceremony is an invitation-only event, and will take place on Tuesday 10th March 2020 at Pergola Olympia, London.