New Delhi, India — The FICCI Publishing Awards 2025 recognized outstanding contributions to the publishing industry during a ceremony held at the Publicon 2025 conference on August 5. HarperCollins and Pratham Books were among the prominent winners celebrated for their literary excellence.
This year’s highlights included awards across various categories, showcasing the diversity of talent in the publishing sector. In the children’s literature categories, Richa Jha’s “Mommies,” illustrated by Priya Sebastian, received the prestigious title of Children’s Book of the Year in English for readers under 10 years. The Special Jury Award for the same age group went to “Ajay of Agumbe and the Signal Snake” by Zai Whitaker, with illustrations by Rajiv Eipe.
For older children, the winner for ages 10 and above was “Thiruvalluvar’s Kural for Kids – Book 1,” translated and storified by Mamathi Chari, published under Reado Junior, an imprint of Readomania. The Special Jury Award for this category was awarded to Vardhini Amin’s “The Forestborns” from Hachette India.
In the Comic Graphic Novel category, the award went to “ZardoZi – Stitched with Love” by Debasmita Dasgupta, edited by Rajat Mittal, from HarperCollins Children’s. The Book of the Year for Best Cover Design was given to “How to Love in Sanskrit,” edited and translated by Anusha Rao and Suhas Mahesh. A Special Jury Award for the same category recognized “When the Sun Sets” by Ogin Nayam, also noted for its innovative cover design.
Recognition for overall design excellence went to “Iconic Trees of India: 75 Natural Wonders,” authored by S Natesh and illustrated by Sagar Bowmick. Special Jury honors in this category were awarded to “Space Rules” by Bijal Vachharajani and Aparna Kapur, featuring NASA photographs and illustrations by Canato Jimo.
In the non-fiction segment, “Aashaon ki Udaan” from the Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting emerged as the Book of the Year in Non-fiction Hindi. Other significant recognitions included “My First Shloka Book Collection,” which claimed the Best Production Paperback award, and “Master of the 7 Swars,” awarded Best Production Hardbound.
The awards also featured categories honoring translated works. “Mayaloka,” translated from Kannada by Krishna Murthy Chandar, earned the Best Translation award, while an anthology of classical Indian literature titled “Illuminating Worlds,” translated and introduced by Srinivas Reddy, received a Special Jury Award in the same category.
Among adult fiction, “Whistles of the Siphoong: Tales from Assam’s Bodo Heartland” by Rashmi Narzary won the Book of the Year for Fiction in English, with a Special Jury Award going to “Swallowing the Sun: A Novel” by Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri.
The title of Book of the Year in Non-fiction English was bestowed upon “The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World” by William Dalrymple, while Mallika Ravikumar’s “565: The Dramatic Story of Unifying India” received a Special Jury Award in this category.
The ceremony underscored the dynamic and evolving landscape of the publishing industry in India, celebrating creativity and dedication of authors, illustrators, and publishers alike.
This article was automatically written by Open AI, and the people, facts, circumstances, and story may be inaccurate. Any article can be requested for removal, retraction, or correction by writing an email to contact@publiclawlibrary.org.