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We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2007 IYPY award is S. Anand from India. Anand is Founder and Editor of Navayana Publishing in Chennai, the first independent imprint in India to deal exclusively with the issues of caste inequalities and identity politics. He is a hugely committed individual and as the IYPY 2007 winner a strong advocate for the power of publishing across the world to address social issues. |
The award presentation on Wednesday 18 April at London Book Fair was an exciting ceremony, attended by UK and international publishing contacts, as well as a number of ambassadors and cultural attachés from the nine participating countries. Liz Calder, Founder and Publishing Director of Bloomsbury Publishing (herself a former judge of IYPY 2004) presented the award to Anand. The sense of camaraderie amongst the group was felt by all, and it was very much the culmination of a busy but exhilarating ten days for all of the IYPY finalists.
The judges said of Anand: ‘He is an enthusiastic and engaging young man; a champion for greater engagement with India’s marginalised and underprivileged. He provided the judges with a compelling view of the need for a publishing house like his own. He has a clear social agenda but, importantly, he also has a real understanding of the economics of publishing and presented a fascinating model for building the non English speaking market in India. The judges want to commend Anand for his clear, long term vision.’
Also during the Fair, each finalist got the chance to pitch a book from their country that had not been published in the UK yet but that they felt deserved a wider audience. The Book Pitch Session took place on Monday 16 April, and each finalist promoted their chosen title. A group of professional actors performed an excerpt of the book, which was then commented upon by a selected panel of specialists.
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The audience then had the chance to vote for their favourite using an electronic voting system. The selection of Bogdan Stanescu from Romania (Born in the USSR) was the audience’s favourite, with Hassan Salem from Syria (Birds of the South) coming in a close second. Congratulations to them both! |
The International Young Publisher of the Year (IYPY) award is a collaboration between the British Council and London Book Fair (LBF). It was launched in 2004 to celebrate the entrepreneurial and leadership ability of a young person (aged between 25 and 35), working in the publishing sector in their own country.
The award is targeted at transitional and developing economies and celebrates and champions the notion of creative leadership – specifically the need to identify and nurture future leaders of the publishing industry in these markets. Within this group it is essential for the UK to develop a culture of engagement, collaboration and partnership. IYPY provides this select group with access to LBF as an opportunity for exchanging ideas and trading rights with UK professionals. The award positions the UK as a centre of creative thinking and entrepreneurship, as a vital nexus of international networking and a place where they can always do business.
Around ten British Council offices are selected to participate in the IYPY programme each year. Each office selects one entrepreneurial young publisher as their national finalist. The finalists travel to the UK to take part in a ten-day tour of the UK publishing sector, attend London Book Fair and compete for the IYPY award.
The finalists give a presentation about their vision for their country’s publishing industry to an elite judging panel from the publishing world. The winner is chosen on this basis and will receive a free exhibition stand at the next London Book Fair and a financial award of £7,500. The prize money is to be used on a project that suits the winner’s specific needs and builds a relationship with the UK publishing sector – e.g. it may be used for short training courses or for a postgraduate course in the UK, to help fund a placement in the UK industry or to buy rights to UK works.
The nine finalists that took part in the IYPY 2007 were:
[please click on their names to find out more]
Argentina - Carlos Díaz
Editor, Siglo XXI Editores
Egypt - Ramy Habeeb
Director, Co-founder, Kotobarabia.com
Hungary - Boldizsár Fejérvári
Editor, Athenaeum 2000 Publishing House
India - S. Anand
Publisher, Navayana Publishing
Malta - Christopher Gruppetta
Director of Publishing, Merlin Library Ltd
Romania - Bogdan-Alexandru Stanescu
Editorial Director, Polirom Publishing House
Slovenia - Simona Polše Zupan
Publishing Director, Damodar Publishing
South Africa - Solomon Ngobeni
Editor and Founder, S & S Publishing
Syria - Hassan Salem
Executive Director, Dar Al-Fikr Al-Muaaser
For further information about the IYPY award, contact Pablo Rosselló
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