Besides being awarded to books in various categories, the Awards also acknowledged the importance and contributions of professionals in allied fields, such as editing and illustration. 

This year, Elizabeth Kuruvilla of Penguin Random House India was named winner in the Editor of the Year category. Radhika Marwah from the same company was the runner-up.

Since its inception in 2014, the annual Publishing Next Industry Awards recognises and rewards talent, initiative, entrepreneurship and quality in book publishing, across publishers of all sizes, and in all Indian languages. 

Established under the aegis of the Publishing Next Conference, a platform furthering discussion and networking within the book publishing industry, the Publishing Next Industry Awards seek to celebrate innovation and leadership in the Indian book trade. Based in Goa, the Conference is driven by its two co-founders, Queenie Rodrigues and Leonard Fernandes, and by an advisory body that includes Vinutha Mallya and Rubin D’Cruz.

Aleph Book Company, the New Delhi-based publishing house emerged the winner in the Publisher of the Year category of Publishing Next Industry Awards 2022. The citation read that the Award was presented to Aleph for “the interesting range of subjects its list covers, including children’s and translated books. Its willingness to take the extra step to ensure that its books are of the highest quality. It is noteworthy that, through its books, Aleph has chosen to stand up to the pressures of the prevailing political climate.”

Roli Books, a publisher that has become synonymous with lavish, beautifully crafted books on Indian art, photography, history and world cuisines, was declared runner-up in this category.

The winners and runners-up of Publishing Next Industry Awards 2022:

Editor of the Year

Winner: Elizabeth Kuruvilla (Penguin Random House India)

Runner-Up: Radhika Marwah (Penguin Random House India)

Illustrator of the Year

Winner: Prashant Soni

Runner-Up: Sanket Pethkar

Book Cover of the Year (Indian Languages)

Winner: Paramita Brahmachari, for her design of the cover of Nishite Pawa Desh, published by Jadavpur University Press

Runner-Up: Anil Aahuja for his design of the cover of Pariyon Ke Beech, published by Rajkamal Prakashan 

Book Cover of the Year (English)

Winner: Akangksha Sarmah, for her design of the cover of Hungry Humans, published by Penguin Random House India

Runner-Up: Akila Sesshasayee, for her design of the cover of Land, Guns, Caste, Woman: The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary, published by Navayana

Illustrated Book of the Year

Winner: Indian Botanical Art: An Illustrated History, by Martyn Rix, published by Roli Books

Runner-Up: Mumbai: A City Through Objects - 101 Stories from the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum by Anahita Dhondy, published by HarperCollins Publishers India

Children’s Book of the Year (Ages 0-8)

Winner: Dugga, authored and illustrated by Rajiv Eipe, published by Pratham Books.

Runner-Up: Aai and I, by Mamta Nainy, illustrated by Sanket Pethkar. Published by Pickle Yolk Books

Children’s Book of the Year (Ages 8+)

Winner: It’s Time to Rhyme: Poems for Kids of All Ages, by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan. Illustrated by Priya Kuriyan and published by Aleph Book Company

Runner-Up: Pinkoo Shergill Pastry Chef by Vibha Batra. Illustrated by Shamika Chaves and published by Scholastic India

Printed Book of the Year (Indian Languages)

Winner: Mahaparbat : Ek Kahani Hamare Daur Ki, by Amitv Ghosh, published by HarperCollins Publishers India

Runner-Up: Madras 1726 by Benjamin Schultze (edited and translated by K Subashini), published by Kalachuvadu Publications

Printed Book of the Year (English)

Winner: Improvised Futures: Encountering the Body in Performance, edited by Ranjana Dave, published by Tulika Books, in association with West Heavens, Shanghai

Runner-Up: Born a Muslim: Some Truths about Islam in India, by Ghazala Wahab, published by Aleph Book Co

&

In the Language of Remembering: The Inheritance of Partition, by Aanchal Malhotra, published by HarperCollins Publishers India

Publisher of the Year

Winner: Aleph Book Company

Runner-Up: Roli Books