Eklavya Foundation awarded Publisher of the Year 2024

Bhopal-based Eklavya Foundation, a not-for-profit focused on children’s education and learning, was awarded ‘Publisher of the Year’ at the Publishing Next Industry Awards 2024, held in New Delhi on 2 February 2025. Hindi publisher Vani Prakashan was chosen runner-up in the same category. 

The 42-year-old Eklavya Foundation has been working in children’s publishing to ensure accessibility and diversity. The judges remarked, “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 organisations and experimentation with various formats reflect an understanding of the power of publishing as a tool for social impact.”

In a first, a Mising language (spoken by indigenous tribe from the North East India) book, Rinjang Jang, made it to the award list. Meanwhile, awards under ‘Bookstore of the Year’ category were skipped for the second consecutive year due to insufficient entries. 

Congratulating the winners and runners-up of the 2024 and 2023 awards, Leonard Fernandes, co-founder, 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.”

The Publishing Next Industry Awards are annually held to recognise and reward talent in Indian publishing, across the languages. These awards, instituted by Margao–based platform Publishing Next, a forum promoting discussions and networking in the book publishing sector.

Editor of the Year
Chirag Thakkar, Bloomsbury Publishing (Winner)
Rudra Narayan Sharma, Rupa publications (Runner-Up)

Illustrator of the Year
Ruchi Shah, Pickle Yolk Books (Winner)
Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, HarperCollins India (Runner-Up

Cover of the Year (Children’s Books)
When fairyland lost its magic (Winner)
The hoopoe on the lawn (Runner-Up)

Cover of the Year (Indian Languages)
Chot (Winner)
Dharug (Runner-Up)

Cover of the Year (English)
Mad sisters of Esi (Winner)
A firestorm in paradise (Runner-Up)
Art is a voice (Runner-Up)

Printed Book of the Year (Children’s Books for Ages 0-8)
Mommies (Winner)
Taaron ki chhaon mein sair (Runner-Up)

Printed Book of the Year (Children’s Books for Ages 8+)
Akela (Winner)
Ganesh Pyne's Twilight Dreams (Runner-Up)

Printed Book of the Year (Art, Illustration, & Photography)
Shahjahanabad (Winner)
A pottery story (Runner-Up)

Printed Book of the Year (Indian Languages)
Satrangi Dastarkhwan (Winner)
Rinjang Jang (Runner-Up)

Printed Book of the Year (English)
Food journeys (Winner)
Another lens (Runner-Up)

Publisher of the Year
Eklavya Foundation (Winner)
Vani Prakashan (Runner-Up)