The 15th BBC News Ukraine Book of the Year awards launched in Lviv at the Museum of Ethnography and Crafts, where the BBC also held a literary quiz.
Awarded in partnership with the Cultural Programme of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the awards include BBC Book of the Year (Книга року BBC); BBC Children’s Book of the Year (Дитяча Книга року BBC), and BBC Book of the Year – Essays (Книга року ВВС – Есеїстика).
The BBC’s annual literary accolade is traditionally launched at the Book Fair and Literary Festival in Lviv. BBC News Ukraine acting editor, Marta Shokalo, says: “Our Book of the Year awards celebrate literary excellence in the Ukrainian language. As we launch the 15th contest, we were delighted to bring together the awards judges, writers, critics and readers to have fun together testing each other’s knowledge in Ukrainian literature.”
The BBC Book of the Year awards’ partnership with the Cultural Programme of the EBRD started in 2012 when BBC Children’s Book of the Year category was added to the accolade.
EBRD cultural advisor, Svitlana Pyrkalo, comments: “The Cultural Programme of the EBRD is as dedicated to Ukraine’s long-term future as is the Bank itself. Our motto is to provide the impetus for market creation and leave the main work to its creative forces.
“We are proud to support the BBC Ukraine Book Prize since 2012, and especially pleased that our work together on the Children’s Book category is helping strengthen the market for kids’ and young adults’ books in Ukraine.”
The winning author in each category will be awarded a Ukrainian hryvnya equivalent of £1,000. The publishers of the BBC Book of the Year, BBC Children’s Book of the Year and BBC Book of the Year – Essays will have the right to use the logos of the BBC Ukrainian book awards on subsequent editions.
Publishers can submit up to three books in each category, and up to two new books by previous winners. Submitted books must be in the Ukrainian language (original works or translations), published within the last 12 months. For detailed Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice, go to bbc.ua. The deadline for nominations is 7 October 2019. The readers can send their reviews between 21 October and 21 November 2019.
The longlists in each category are selected by the BBC Ukrainian team. The panel selects shortlists and winners.
The winners will be announced on 13 December 2019.