The 37th Annual IBPA Book Award is Now Accepting Entries
The IBPA Book Award program (formerly the Benjamin Franklin Award™) is a prestigious book award program that has been regarded as such for over 36 years.
The awards are administered by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) with help from over 170 book publishing professionals, including librarians, bookstore owners, reviewers, designers, publicity managers, and editors.
What sets this award apart is the insightful feedback entrants receive. Unlike other contests, judges return their written critiques directly to publishers, offering valuable feedback for improvement.
Who Can Enter the IBPA Book Award Program?
The current competition is for publishers of print books and audiobooks with a copyright date of 2024.
Qualifying publishers include:
- independent publishers
- hybrid publishers
- author publishers
- university presses
- association presses
So, if you have a book with a copyright of 2024 and you want your team (author, publisher, illustrator, editor, designer) to be recognized for its efforts, this award is for you.
What Are the Periods of Entry?
There are two periods of entry for books published in 2024:
- July 1, 2024 to September 30, 2024
- October 1, 2024 to December 16, 2024
Books published between January and September 2024 typically fall under the first entry period, while October to December releases are suited for the second. However, as long as your book has a 2024 copyright, you can enter anytime before the final deadline of December 16th, 2024.
Winners will be announced at the IBPA Book Award gala dinner and ceremony at the InterContinental St. Paul on Friday, May 16, 2025.
What Book Categories Are on the List?
There are over 50 categories, which means there’s an opportunity for every independent publisher to enter their books in the specific genre or areas where they shine: fiction, regional, cookbook, poetry, children, coffee table, design, audiobooks, first-time publishers, and many more.
You can see the full list of categories here.
In addition to these traditional categories, they’ve added 7 new categories that recognize books published by underrepresented communities:
- AAPI Communities
- Black/African American Communities
- Disabled Communities
- First Nations/Indigenous Communities
- Latina/o/e Communities
- LGBTQIA2+ Communities
- Neurodivergent Communities
How to Enter the Book Award Program?
First, make sure your book has a 2024 copyright. Then, IBPA Book Award entrants must be current members of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA).
Here are the fees for members and non-members.
Fee for non-members of IBPA:
$234 for the initial entry; $99 for additional entries
$99 per title/per category, plus $135 to cover the annual IBPA membership fee (an annual membership fee savings of $20)
Fee for current members of IBPA:
$99 for the initial entry; $99 for additional entries
💡To download the entry level for each category and to see the step-by-step instructions, visit this page.