Storymix, Orion and 404 Ink among FutureBook award winners

Joint winners in the Team category were 404 In(k)ternship and the Orion Virtual Internship. The Bookseller’s director of publisher relations and judge Emma Lowe said: "The teams we heard from on the shortlist had all understood what it meant to take a group of people who work together, turn that group into a team and then create something special. Our joint winners had done similar things in different environments. Both teams though had the aim of opening the world of publishing up to as many voices as possible, enabling them to belong."

Start-up was won by Storymix, with Prismatext given a high commendation for its blended-language books. Judge and The Bookseller’s comment editor Molly Flatt, said: "Storymix is a seasoned startup that’s had an extraordinary year and made a tangible impact on multiple areas of the industry, from nurturing new writers to getting creative with IP."

Dawn Burnett at HQ won the Campaign award for her work on Menopausing by Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter, which has been one of the standout non-fiction successes of the year. Judge and The Bookseller’s marketing consultant, Miriam Robinson, said: "HQ prioritised its audience in a profound way in their campaign for Menopausing, really meeting them where they were in a way which lifted readers up, made them feel heard and brought them together. You could feel the passion in every element, from the deep social listening to the vibrant creative to the dynamic retail strategy. A true masterclass."

Highly commended in this category was Fran Owen and Mari Yamazaki with Anna Massardi, for their work on A Visible Man by Edward Enninful (Bloomsbury).

The Sustainability award was won by PRH for The Sustainability Production Toolkit, an effort to demystify the challenges around responsible sourcing that educates PRH staff to sustainably produce books. Editor of The Bookseller and judge Philip Jones said: "Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, and we were impressed by the thought and execution of the toolkit that is now a living reference document."

The Discover prize went to Asian Women writers and its founder Irum Fazal, which came through an incredibly competitive shortlist. Founded in 2022 to support unpublished Asian women with mentorship from leading literary agents, the website has already connected 35 writers with agents, with two already signed up to publishers. 

Natasha Onwuemezi, associate editor at The Bookseller, said: “What Irum is doing with Asian Women Writers with a team of one and a budget of zero is so impressive. We’re really glad to be able to recognise her hard work to support and cultivate a new generation of writers with this award. We were hugely impressed by the breadth of vision, the speed of development, and just the sheer hard work shown by Irum in not just connecting writers to the industry but quickly building up her own contacts across the sector." A high commendation went to the Inklusion Guide, described as a “kickass guide to making literature events accessible for disabled people”.

Earlier this month, BookTok was named FutureBook’s Person of the Year. The accolade is awarded to those responsible for making a real difference in the book business through their actions and advocacy.

Across the shortlists, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Hachette division Orion had the most entries with four apiece. Indies were also well represented, through Little Toller, Faber, 404 Ink, and audiobook business xigxag. Last year’s winners included Bad Form Review, Penguin Random House’s Lit in Colour, Hachette’s Feminist Book Box, The Booker Prize 2020, Bookshop.org and the campaign for Empire of the Vampire (HarperVoyager).