Award to honour book cover

‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ warns a saying. Turning this concept on its head, the Oxford Bookstore has announced the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize for brilliance in book design

03 Jun 2015 | By Dibyajyoti Sarma

The award is an attempt to recognise and encourage extraordinary work by illustrators, designers and publishers throughout India. The prize appreciates the importance of the balance of graphics and narrative, particularly in our increasingly visual age, and believes that a book cover interprets and decodes the ensuing text in crucial ways that contribute to its ultimate success.
 
Priti Paul, group director, Apeejay Surrendra, which owns the Oxford Bookstore chain, with its headquarters in Kolkata, said, “We, at Oxford Bookstore, value creativity and design, and through this award, we aim to give young graphic designers and artists an exposure for the hard work they have put in.”
 
The prize will be announced at the Jaipur BookMark 2016, following a submission process and deliberation by a panel of jurors.
 
Covers of titles designed by Indian designers and released between 1 April 2014, and 31 March 2015, are eligible for the prize. Shortlisted designers will be announced at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2016, and an exhibition of book covers will be displayed at the Oxford Bookstore in Connaught Place, New Delhi.