Winner Announcement of 9th Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize
New Delhi, May 02nd 2024: Oxford Bookstores announced Bhavi Mehta as the winner of the 9th edition of Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize at a celebratory event hosted at the India Habitat Centre. Mehta won the prize for the book jacket of “The Book Beautiful” published by Hachette India and authored by Pradeep Sebastian. The winner was felicitated with a trophy, certificate and 1 Lakh Indian Rupees cash prize by Dr. Alka Pande, Museum curator, art historian, author and jury chair; Dr. Shashi Tharoor, well-known author, politician and Member of Parliament; H.E Ms. May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India, Ms. Anja Riedeberger, Director Information Services South Asia Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan and Mr. Swagat Sengupta, CEO, Apeejay Oxford Bookstores, in the presence of designers, publishers, artists and literary enthusiasts from the industry.
Speaking at the ceremony, Bhavi Mehta, the winner of the 9th Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize said, “I would like to thank Oxford Bookstore for this wonderful honour and Hachette India for giving me the opportunity to work on such a beautiful book. I am deeply humbled and grateful. A shout out to Pradeep Sebastian for trusting me with his book, really happy how it turned out. This is for my 1 year old son, Samar, who reminds me everyday to stay curious and have fun”.
In addition to the winning cover, three more designers were acknowledged by the jurors in appreciation of their remarkable command of graphics and visual narratives. These designers are Gunjan Ahlawat for the book, “The Penguin Book of Indian Poets” published by Hamish Hamilton- an imprint of Penguin Random House; Saurav Das for “Azad Nagar” published by HarperCollins India and Saurabh Garge for “The Adornment of Gods” published by Westland Books.
Announcing the winner of the 9th Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize, Chair of Jury, Dr. Alka Pande said, “The Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize has come of age in bringing and showcasing the detailing, interest, and engagement of the writer, the designer, and the publisher. I am indeed very happy to have been associated with the prize since its inception and to continuously be inspired by the creativity and dedication displayed by the cover designers. Each cover tells a unique story, and it is truly an honor to be recognizing and celebrating these artistic achievements. Moreover, I want to acknowledge the commitment of my jury and, most importantly, the vision of Priti Paul, who while owning one of the best bookshops in the country, also has the vision to institute the prize and fueling it with her constant support.”
The evening also witnessed the announcement of the longlist of second Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize. Dr. Alka Pande, Jury chair, museum curator, art historian and author; and H.E Ms. May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India announced the 13-longlisted book titles at the occasion. These titles were recognised for their quality of artistic composition and overall design by the jury panel.
Instituted in collaboration with Visual Arts Gallery in 2022, the Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize is India’s only prize that recognizes the value of art in all genres under the umbrella of an art publication. The special jury commissioned for the second edition of Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize includes Ambassador of Norway to India, H.E Ms. May-Elin Stener; Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group and the creative force behind Oxford Bookstores, Ms. Priti Paul; Museum curator, art historian, author and jury chair, Dr. Alka Pande; Director General, Bihar Museum, Mr. Anjani Kumar Singh; and Founder and Director, Art Alive Gallery, Ms. Sunaina Anand.
OXFORD BOOKSTORE ART BOOK PRIZE 2024 LONGLIST
1. Title- Tipu Sultan: Image & Distance
Publisher- Delhi Art Gallery Pvt. Ltd.
Artist- Giles Tillotson
2. Title– Iconic Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art- Edition 3
Publisher- Delhi Art Gallery Pvt. Ltd.
Artist- Kishore Singh
3. Title- The Shoemaker’s Stitch: Mochi Embroideries of Gujarat in the TAPI Collection
Publisher– Niyogi Books
Artist- Shilpa Shah & Rosemary Crill
4. Title- Paachakam- Heritage Cuisine of Kerala
Publisher– Roli Books
Artist- Sabita Radhakrishna
5. Title– Thota Vaikuntam- A Celebration
Publisher- Aleph Book Company
Artist- Thota Vaikuntam
6. Title- Tantra on the Edge: Inspirations and Experiments in Twentieth Century Indian Art
Publisher– Delhi Art Gallery Pvt. Ltd.
Artist- Kishore Singh
7. Title- Insurgency and The Artist- The Art of the Freedom Struggle in India
Publisher- Roli Books
Artist- Vinay Lal
8. Title– Wildlife Chronicles
Publisher- Rupa Publications
Artist- Adit Jain
9. Title– Grit: The Vishwas Story
Publisher- Hachette India
Artist- VR Ferose
10. Title– International Gallerie
Publisher- Gallerie Publishers
Artist– Bina Sarkar Ellias
11. Title- Taara of the Stars
Publisher– Hachette India
Artist– Praveen Balakrishnan
12. Title– March to Freedom
Publisher- Delhi Art Gallery Pvt. Ltd.
Artist- Mrinalini Venkateswaran
13. Title- The Night the Writing Fell Silent
Publisher- Priyasari Art Gallery
Artist– Srajana Kaikini / Jogen Chowdhury
Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize is a first-of-its-kind honour for splendour in book design, and an endeavour by an iconic bookstore to perceive and empower the phenomenal work of artists, designers and distributors crosswise over India. The prize acknowledges the significance of the adjust of illustrations and story, especially in our undeniably visual age, and trusts that a book cover translates and interprets the resulting content in critical ways that add to its definitive achievement. Under the guidance of Ms. Priti Paul, Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group, Oxford Bookstores has been pushing all boundaries to encourage the publishing industry and celebrate the business of books. Standout cover design is an integral part of the success of a book, designers and illustrators play a vital role in helping a book become emblematic and create recall.
The jury for the ninth edition of Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize comprises of author and Member of Parliament, Dr. Shashi Tharoor; author, columnist and novelist, Shobhaa De; author and academic, Dr. Kunal Basu; Museum curator, art historian, author and jury chair, Dr. Alka Pande; Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group and the creative force behind the Oxford Bookstore chain, Priti Paul and Guest Jurors, Director, Institut français in India and Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Action, French Embassy in India, Emmanuel Lebrun- Damiens and Director Information Services South Asia Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Anja Riedeberger.
Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize is India’s only prize that recognises the value of art in all genres under the umbrella of the art publication. The Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize is an innovative collaboration between Oxford Bookstores and the Visual Arts Gallery, celebrating the best in art publications published in English language. The collaboration between the two institutes underscores the importance of their commitment to advance the print practice in the field of arts. Significantly, the Art Book Prize actively recognizes the contribution the book has made to the large discourse on art and culture. The Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize is an open invitation for publishers, academics who research art and culture, collectives and independent artists based in India who are involved from the conceptualization stage through the production stage of various forms of art publications. An illustrious panel of experts would be looking for original concepts, critical thinking, and novel approaches for identifying and recognising talents who contribute to the popularisation of art publishing in India and beyond.
The jury for the second edition of Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize includes Ambassador of Norway to India, H.E Ms. May-Elin Stener; Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group and the creative force behind Oxford Bookstores, Ms. Priti Paul; Museum curator, art historian, author and jury chair, Dr. Alka Pande; Director General, Bihar Museum, Mr. Anjani Kumar Singh; and Founder and Director, Art Alive Gallery, Ms. Sunaina Anand.