The reputable Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize 2022 is now open for entries and is celebrating its seventh year with an illustrious list of jury members. The award that is announced at Apeejay Kolkata Literary Meet and Jaipur Literature Fest Bookmark every year, aims to do so in 2022 as well. The jury consists of author and columnist Shobhaa De, director of Apeejay Surendra Group Priti Paul, politician and author Shashi Tharoor, prolific author Kunal Basu and academician and museum curator Alka Pande. The singular thread connecting all the jury members is their collective love for books while their diverse background aims to provide a varied perspective to the prize.
There is no denying the influence of a good book cover on the reception of the book by readers. This opportunity enables publishers to feel appreciated for this special honour. Entries will be welcome till November 15. Previous winners of this coveted prize includes Beena Sareen for Talking of Justice by late author Leila Seth, published by Aleph; Pinaki De for the book Kalkatta by Kunal Basu, published by Picador India; Maithili Doshi Aphale for Himalaya by Ruskin Bond and Namita Gokhale, published by Speaking Tiger; Bonita Vaz Shimray for Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra, published by HarperCollins; Sneha Pamneja for Tiffin: 500 Authentic Recipes Celebrating India’s Regional Cuisine by Sonal Ved, published by Roli Books and Gunjan Ahlawat for the gorgeous cover of Gun Island: A Novel by Amitav Ghosh, published by Hamish Hamilton.
Commenting on the various parameters that the jury looks out for while judging a book by its cover, Alka Pande said, “Since its institution the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize is committed to bringing to light the invisible actors at play, the book cover designers and illustrators who are key players in curating the face of a book. The methodology is to pick and shortlist book jackets with the ability to capture the essence of the book through a visual not just with clarity and creativity but also depth and vigour.
“Identifying the best book covers from hundreds of entries received from a diaspora of publishers across the country is a tough task but it’s the diverse background of our jury and their expertise coupled with the scientific process of discussing, voting and rating with every physical copy of the nominated book, which makes the judging process distinctive. The longlist and shortlist of every edition of the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize is a testament to the extraordinary artistic and design talent that runs in the Indian publishing industry and the prize does its best in recognising and deciphering this magnificent artistry.”