EIBF Co-Presidents Fabian Paagman and Jean-Luc Treutenaere are delighted to congratulate their colleague Co-President Kyra Dreher and all German winners of this year’s German Booksellers Prize, announced yesterday at the Awards Ceremony in Frankfurt.
The Prize was created in 2015 by the German Ministry of Culture and Media in an attempt to strengthen locally owned bookshops and to raise awareness about the important role that they play in promoting cultural diversity within Germany.
Out of 614 applications, there are 108 winners grouped in three categories. Three bookstores won the Prize for Best Bookstore, carrying a prize of 25.000 €. There are five winners in the category of Most Valuable Bookstore, each awarded with 14 000 €. Finally 100 bookshops received 7000 € in prize money for winning the category Outstanding Bookstore. The three winners in the top category are: Artes liberals – Buchladen from Heidelberg, Literatur Moths from Munich and Rote Zora from Merzig. All three were especially lauded for their cultural commitment and their innovative business models.
A special mention goes to Wist – Der Literaturladen, which is prominently featured in the upcoming documentary Books under Pressure: A Controversy by Siegfried Ressel. It won first Prize in the Most Valuable Bookshop category.
The European and International Booksellers Federation warmly welcomes the German Government’s acknowledgement of the paramount role that bookshops play in highlighting the diversity of the cultural sector and Europe’s rich literary heritage. EIBF has repeatedly stressed that the existence of a varied and diverse range of bookstores is vital for local communities all over Europe and the world. Bookshops play a crucial role in fostering literacy and education in society and in promoting both aspiring and established authors in their communities.
Taking to heart the words of American Author James Patterson “A literate citizenry is a better citizenry” (https://vimeo.com/139473737) the bookselling community encourages any initiative that aims at strengthening the visibility of bookshops. EIBF Co-Presidents wish to express their warmest congratulations to the German Government for creating such a valuable Prize and hope that other Governments may follow its example.
More Information (in German)
http://www.deutscher-buchhandlungspreis.de/preistraeger2015/
http://boersenblatt.net and http://boersenblatt.net/1027657/template/bb_t_bildergalerien/#artikel-deutscher_buchhandlungspreis