8th Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize Longlist Announcement
New Delhi – The much anticipated longlist for eighth edition of Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize was announced at The Park, New Delhi by esteemed jurors of this distinguished prize. Dr. Alka Pande, author, academician and well-known museum curator announced and unveiled the 21 longlisted book covers at the occasion in the presence a divergent mix of publishers, designers, authors and literary enthusiast from across India. Jury member, well-known Indian politician, writer, Member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor, congratulated the designers and publishers through a video message.
The wide-ranging interests of eminent jurors Priti Paul, Shobhaa De, Dr. Kunal Basu, Dr. Shashi Tharoor and Dr. Alka Pande helped create a rich and diverse perspective for the selection of the longlist from amongst 600 plus eligible entries received for the eighth Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize. 21 titles across distinct genres and themes have been recognised for their cover design and illustration by the jury panel.
Over the last seven editions, the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize has evolved and gained towering success and enormous popularity as the most prestigious book cover design award in the publishing industry. The longlist announcement of the eighth edition was aligned with the celebration of the 100 glorious years of Oxford Bookstore. This remarkable evening witnessed a delightful dance performance by renowned Kathak dancer, Leena Malakar and her disciple Swarnali Nag.
Celebrating the announcement of the longlist of Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize 2023, Priti Paul, Prize Jury member and Director Apeejay Surrendra Group said, “Resilience, Innovation and Creativity in the recent times of turmoil and lockdown, are strikingly apparent in this year’s longlist of excellent book covers reiterating that artistic expression constantly evolves in times of crises. It has been very exciting, indeed, to encounter so much style and substance in the outstanding entries wherein aesthetics continue to celebrate originality, creativity and reflect reality. The Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize is a significant initiative to support and encourage the art of Book Cover Design., and help take it to the next level.”
Chair of Jury, Dr. Alka Pande said, “As we move into our 8th edition of the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize it is a pleasure to see the added diversity of the book covers, and the increasing energy and creativity going into the making of book covers. It has been quite exhilarating, indeed, to encounter so much style, aesthetics and substance in the outstanding entries received this year. Each book jacket that has made it to the longlist celebrates originality, creativity and reflects reality”.
The shortlist for the award will be unveiled at Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF) in January 2023, while the winner will be announced in Delhi a few weeks later.
LONGLIST – EIGHTH OXFORD BOOKSTORE BOOK COVER PRIZE
- Nominated book- Birdwatching: A Novel
Name of the Publisher- Aleph Book Company
Name of the Designer- Bena Sareen
Name of the Author- Stephen Alter
- Nominated book- Memory Police
Name of the Publisher- DC Books
Name of the Designer- Leeza John
Name of the Author- Yoko Ogawa
- Nominated book- Shakti, An exploration of the Divine Feminine
Name of the Publisher- Dorling Kindersley India
Name of the Designer- Priyanka Thakur
Name of the Author- Nilima Chitgopekar
- Nominated book- Boys Don’t Cry
Name of the Publisher- Ebury Publishing
Name of the Designer- Akangksha Sarmah
Name of the Author- Meghna Pant
- Nominated book- The Lesbian Cow and Other Stories
Name of the Publisher- Eka
Name of the Designer- Bhavya/Saurabh Garge
Name of the Author- Indu Menon
- Nominated book- The Illuminated: A Novel
Name of the Publisher- FourthEstate
Name of the Designer- Bonita Vaz-Shimray
Name of the Author- Anindita Ghose
- Nominated book- Gods, Giants and Geography of India
Name of the Publisher- Hachette India Children’s Books
Name of the Designer- Sharanya Kunnath
Name of the Author- Nalini Ramachandran
- Nominated book- Onam in a Nightie
Name of the Publisher- HarperCollins
Name of the Designer- Anujath Sindhu Vinaylal
Name of the Author- Anjana Menon
- Nominated book- Who’s Not Afraid of Z? Not Me!
Name of the Publisher- HarperCollins Children’s Books
Name of the Designer- Allen Shaw
Name of the Author- Lubaina Bandukwala
- Nominated book- Onyoder Jiban
Name of the Publisher- Jadavpur University Press
Name of the Designer- Trinankur Banerjee
Name of the Author- Neel Mukherjee
- Nominated book- Pebble Monkey
Name of the Publisher- Jadavpur University Press
Name of the Designer- Paramita Brahmachari
Name of the Author- Manindra Gupta
- Nominated book- Kankabati Kalpabigyan Lekheni
Name of the Publisher- Kalpabiswa Publications
Name of the Designer- Ujjwal Ghosh
Name of the Author- Various Authors, Edited by Yashodhora Raychaudhuri, Ankita and Dip Ghosh
- Nominated book- Metronama: Scenes from the Delhi Metro
Name of the Publisher- Lotus
Name of the Designer- Shikhar Gaur
Name of the Author- Rashmi Sadana
- Nominated book- India: A Story Through 100 Objects
Name of the Publisher- Lustre
Name of the Designer- Sneha Pamneja
Name of the Author- Vidya Dehejia
- Nominated book- Motherland: Pushpamala N’s Woman and Nation
Name of the Publisher- Lustre
Name of the Designer- Advaita Vats
Name of the Author- Monica Juneja & Sumathi Ramaswamy
- Nominated book- Growing up Jewish: Synagogues, Customs, and Communities from the Bene Israel to the Art of Siona Benjamin
Name of the Publisher- Niyogi Books
Name of the Designer- Misha Oberoi
Name of the Author- Ori Z. Soltes
- Nominated book- How the Earth got its Beauty
Name of the Publisher- Puffin
Name of the Designer- Cover design by Akangksha Sarmah & Devangana Dash / Cover illustration by Priyanka Pachpande
Name of the Author- Sudha Murty
- Nominated book- Tirahe Par Teen
Name of the Publisher- Rajpal & Sons
Name of the Designer- Archana Jain
Name of the Author- Rajni Gupt
- Nominated book- A Paradox of Dreams
Name of the Publisher- Readomania Publishing
Name of the Designer- Sourish Mitra
Name of the Author- Harshali Singh
- Nominated book- Invisible Empire
Name of the Publisher- Viking
Name of the Designer- Ahlawat Gunjan
Name of the Author- Pranay Lal
- Nominated book- The Muslim Vanishes
Name of the Publisher- Vintage
Name of the Designer- Antra
Name of the Author- Saeed Naqvi