27 October 2021

British Book Design & Production Awards – Last chance to book & host announced!

The British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF), in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, BookMachine, and The Bookseller are thrilled to announce Penny Smith as the host for this year's British Book Design and Production Awards 2021. As one of the most prestigious and popular literary events of the year, these are the only industry awards to promote and celebrate the excellence and craftsmanship of the British book design and production industry. With less than 2 weeks to go, ensure you book your tickets now! 

About Penny

Penny Smith is a television and radio presenter, a newsreader and a journalist seen regularly on BBC news. She was born in Nottinghamshire and began her career as a reporter and feature writer on the Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Penny moved on to Sky before becoming a presenter on GMTV. Her early mornings lasted for over 30 years! Penny is well known for her passion for reading and theatre and presented the Arts Show on Radio 2. 

BPIF were thrilled by the record amount of 500+ entries during an extremely challenging year for students, designers, publishers and printers. Entries spread across 18 categories, representing the many various forms books can take. These include everything from Photographic books to Scholarly, Academic and Children's categories.  

The BBDPA's also hold a category for aspiring students to enter their work, giving them the opportunity to win £500 as well as a short internship with a leading designer, publisher or printer.

It has been an extraordinary year, especially for students and smaller publishers having no access to the usual production and retail opportunities due to COVID-19 hitting hard. Anais Bellemans, Head of Marketing, BPIF, comments: 

"We are thankful for the massive support in the industry this year, and amazed by the beautiful entries and craftsmanship that has gone into every book. During the pandemic everyone encountered unforeseen difficulties like never before, but overall the Books market was extremely resilient - showing its importance to learning and bringing immersive comfort to people when needed most."

Please click here to view the full Shortlist for the BBDPA's 2021.

A massive thank you to our judges, a panel of industry experts from the areas of creative design, retail, print and production. In addition to the 18 category winners, the book that outshines the rest will win the title of 'Book of the Year'.

We have a limited number of tables available, so to ensure that you don't miss any of the evening's prize-giving, reserve your table now on the BBDPA website www.britishbookawards.org/tickets or email [email protected].

The BPIF would like to thank the 2021 BBDPA sponsors: Boss Print, Canon, Halstan, Imago Group, Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS), Lighthouse IT, Matador, Mondi, Muller Martini, The Printing Charity, Winter & Company and media partners Oxford Brookes University, BookMachine and The Bookseller. 

For further details & to buy tickets to the Awards, please visit www.britishbookawards.org or contact Heena Bulsara at the BPIF on 07931 533728 or at [email protected].