Best Book Design from all over the World 2025 – winners released
Press Release by Carolin Blöink, Stiftung Buchkunst
In 2025 the jury awards the publication »Forget Me Not / Vergissmeinnicht« with the Goldene Letter (Golden Type), the highest mention. It was previously honoured in the Dutch competition. The title was published by Building Fictions, Amsterdam and was designed by Rudy Guedj.
The jury comments:
»The sophisticated layout and immaculate production provide a truly fitting setting for this volume’s content. Forget Me Not explores the nearly forgotten 19th-century textile-drying towers of Eastern Switzerland, presenting them not merely as relics but as vibrant subjects reimagined through artistic intervention. It’s an approach that breathes new life into these structures, allowing their stories to resonate with a modern audience. Images, archive material, notes, anecdotes and correspondence in signal red layers, alongside commissioned texts, are accompanied by black and white photographs of the remaining towers. This blend of objective analysis and personal reflection invites readers to explore the subject from multiple perspectives, enriching their understanding of the cultural and historical significance of these architectural forms. At its essence, Forget Me Not stands out for its contemporary presentation of historical subjects, masterful use of typography and a narrative that seamlessly combines academic research with personal storytelling.«
In addition to the highest award, the »Goldene Letter«, another 13 books from Austria, China, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic and Switzerland were awarded. The 21 books on the shortlist only just missed out on an award.
The awards are non-monetary and are intended to stimulate greater international dialogue in the book design scene. The institutions taking part have honoured books in national design competitions. Only titles are accepted that have already been awarded prize in their home country or have been recommended by a body of experts.
Five jurors from five different countries – Shin Akiyama, Giulia Boccarossa, Birna Geirfinnsdóttir, Ákos Polgárdi and Astrid Seme – came together in the German National Library in Leipzig from February 13th until 15th 2025 to examine and evaluate books from 32 different countries.
»This year, the jury members immersed themselves in some 550 publications from all over the world. What at first seems like an unmanageable number of books gets whittled down day by day. Drawing on their many years of experience in the book industry, the jury members focus on what they particularly like about the design, layout, typography, materials, printing and the overall concept of the submitted books. They then discuss their favourites. And from what they tell us, it is this discussion with the other jury members that they particularly enjoy and appreciate. Fighting for your favourites, and perhaps convincing the other judges of their merits, is an important part of the process.«, says managing director of Stiftung Buchkunst, Birte Kreft, about the jury’s work.
Publication
During the Leipzig Book Fair 2025 the publication »Best Book Design from all over the World 2025«, designed by Hesign, will be released.
Podcast
A short special episode of the podcast »Leipzigs Neue Seiten« by the Stiftung Buchkunst provides an acoustic impression of the jury panel.
Award ceremony
This year’s 14 awardees will be honoured on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 4pm at the Stiftung Buchkunst booth at the book fair (Leipzig Bookfair, Hall 5 booth D600/C601). We cordially invite you to this event! There will be a small reception afterwards.
First exhibitions
Not only the 14 awarded publications and the shortlist of the international competition but all submissions (around 550 books from 32 countries) will be on display at Stiftung Buchkunst’s booth. On 29 March, parallel to the Leipzig Book Fair, the award-winning books and the new publication will also be on display at the Independent Publishing Fair It’s a book at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig.
Background information
Unique of its kind the competition Best Book Design from all over the World has been held annually in Leipzig since 1963. Since 1991, Stiftung Buchkunst (German Foundation for Book Design) has been responsible for overseeing it. Within this competition, the technical and aesthetic level as well as the appropriate and artistic design of the books are compared beyond national borders. These days publications from more than 30 countries take part in the competition of the book design network. The focus is on international exchange and mutual inspiration.
