Bhopal-based Eklavya Foundation, a The not-for-profit working in the field of children’s education and learning, received the coveted ‘Publisher of the Year’ award at the Publishing Next Industry Awards 2024, which were presented at India International Center in Delhi on 2 February.
Praising the 42-year-old organization that revolutionized children’s publishing in India with its emphasis on accessibility and diversity, the judges said, “Eklavya’s dedication to language accessibility and to keeping books affordably priced underscores their mission to ensure knowledge and storytelling are within reach for a broader audience. Their collaborations with organizations and experimentation with various formats reflect an understanding of the power of publishing as a tool for social impact.”
Vani Prakashan, a well-known legacy publisher of Hindi books, emerged runner-up in the Publisher of the Year category of the 2024 awards.
Awards in 10 other categories were also presented at the ceremony: Editor of the Year, Illustrator of the Year, Book Cover of the Year (three subcategories), and Printed Book of the Year (five subcategories). See the full list here.
In a first, a Mising language book, Rinjang Jang, has made it to the award list. Runner-up in the Printed Book of the Year (Indian Languages) category, the book has been illustrated by the children of Hummingbird School in Assam’s Majuli island and published by Eklavya Foundation.
Awards under ‘Bookstore of the Year’ category could not be announced for the second year, however, due to an insufficient number of entries.
Selected by a jury of professionals from the book industry, the Publishing Next Industry Awards have been given annually since 2014 to recognize and reward talent, initiative, entrepreneurship and quality in Indian publishing, across the languages. These awards, instituted by Margao (Goa)-based platform Publishing Next – a forum promoting discussions and networking in the book publishing sector – celebrate innovation and leadership in the pan-Indian book trade.
At the presentation ceremony, which was on the day after the opening of the New Delhi World Book Fair, Publishing Next also distributed the 2023 Industry Awards. As the winners were announced online last year, the organizers took the opportunity to hand these prizes to the worthy recipients, many of whom could be present in Delhi due to the ongoing book fair.
Congratulating the winners and runners-up of the 2024 and 2023 awards, Leonard Fernandes, co-founder of Publishing Next, said, “The shortlisted books are themselves a testament to the diversity of Indian publishing and we commend the publishers of these books for constantly pushing the boundaries of what printed books can achieve. The editors and illustrators have brought to the fore new ideas and voices, and ways in which those ideas are presented. Congratulations to all the winners for a tremendous all-round performance.”
