ENTER THE AWARDS

 

How do I enter the Awards?
You can submit your entries quickly and easily here. You will need to register a few details before getting started.

Who can enter the Awards?
The Awards are open to all IPG members based in the UK and Ireland.

When is the deadline?
The deadline for all entries is midnight on Thursday 8 February 2024.

What do I need to submit?
For each entry, you will be asked to supply no more than 1,000 words of copy that shows how you have met the Award’s criteria. This is your chance to tell us about your achievements and persuade the judges that you should win!

Each category of the Award sets out several questions for you to answer. Together, these should help you compile all the information you need for a compelling entry. We take this approach to make entries simpler to complete and easier for our judges to consider.

The entry form will also require you to supply some basic information about your company. For our Publisher of the Year categories, we ask for some brief financial information about your business; there is more about this below.

You are able to upload images of five book covers (from books published in 2023) and one catalogue from 2023 to support your submission. There is no need to supply any books or supplementary material, but please feel free to include links to any websites or other digital material that you wish judges to see. Please do not include attachments other than book covers and one catalogue, as these will be removed from your application.

How much does it cost to enter?
Nothing—the Awards are completely free.

Which categories should I enter?
As many as you like! There is no limit, though you should remember that each category requires a separate submission, each tailored to the specific criteria.

If you are not sure which Publisher of the Year category is for you, we define the market sectors as follows. You should choose the one that is most appropriate to your publishing.

  • Trade Publisher of the Year covers companies whose core publishing activity is aimed at a consumer audience.
  • Academic & Professional Publisher of the Year is for companies whose core activity supports students in higher education (18 years +) and / or the professional markets.
  • Children’s Publisher of the Year covers companies whose core publishing is for consumers up to the age of 16.
  • Education Publisher of the Year is for publishers whose core activity supports teaching or learning in the schools sector (ages 3 to 18).
  • Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year is for companies who do not fit neatly into the other four categories—perhaps because their publishing is limited to a particular subject or because they sell their books direct to customers.

If you are in any doubt about which categories you are suited to, please contact us for guidance.

What period do the Awards cover?
Your entries should cover the calendar year from 1 January to 31 December 2023. Please tell us as much as you can about what you have done in this period. You may use previous years for context, but your entry will be judged on achievements in 2023.

What will the judges be looking for?
The Awards have different sets of criteria, so please read them carefully before preparing your submission. The Awards criteria can be found here.

Why do I need to send you financial information?
You will see that some entries to our Awards require some information about your financial performance. This helps to give our judges a full picture of your company. Please include as much data as you are able.

Please be assured that financial information is treated in the strictest confidence. It will never be disclosed outside of the judging process. You may have concerns that your financial performance is not as strong as you may wish, by comparison with either previous years or your publishing counterparts—but remember that our judges view financial figures with the context of the market and the size of your operation firmly in mind.

If you have any remaining concerns about your financial information, please contact us for a confidential discussion.

What happens to my entry?
The Independent Publishing Awards are judged by carefully chosen panels of industry experts, who share decades of experience in publishing. They give every entry fair, equal and careful attention, and all submissions are treated in strict confidence. No information about your entry or company will be shared beyond the judging process.

After the judges have completed their deliberations, shortlists in all our categories for which entries are invited will be revealed on Friday 22 March 2024. The winners will be announced at a lunchtime ceremony on Wednesday 24 April 2024. The Awards ceremony is a wonderful celebration of independent publishing, and all IPG members are warmly invited to join us.

How is the overall Independent Publisher of the Year chosen?
This Award requires no nominations, since it is chosen from the winners of each of the five Publisher of the Year categories. This is the flagship Award and goes to the company that, in the opinion of the judges, has demonstrated exceptional achievement in its publishing and has delivered highly impressive results above and beyond those of their peers.

How can I get more help?
We’ll do all we can to encourage you in the entry process. If you need some inspiration for your entry, check out the top tips listed below and check out our Skills Hub tips too. If you have any questions at all about the entry process, don’t hesitate to contact us.

TEN TOP TIPS FOR ENTERING THE IPG INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING AWARDS

1. Read the entry form carefully
Look especially closely at the criteria on which our Awards will be assessed, then try to include as much evidence of how you meet them as possible.

2. Don’t put it off
Please don’t worry that you might not meet all the criteria or that you have not nominated yourself for anything before. Submitting an entry need not take long, and you have absolutely nothing to lose!

3. Be open with your figures
We understand that some entrants may be hesitant about submitting financial data. The information that we request helps to create a full picture of your company, and is always treated in the strictest of confidence.

4. Make it readable
This is your shop window. Try to engage the judges and take them inside your company. Avoid clichés and jargon, break down your entry into sections if you like, and use bullet points to make key points.

5. Think about the year in question
Make sure your submission is tightly focused on the period covered by our Awards criteria. You can use previous years for context, but please tell us as much as you can about achievements in this period.

6. Gather your evidence
Our judges like to see any proof of claims that you make about your performance. So if you have published a bestseller, provide some sales figures. If you have struck some good rights deals, tell us how much they were worth. Again, all data will be treated in complete confidence.

7. Don’t worry if it has not been a record year
Judges always bear the context of the market in mind, so a solid performance in challenging conditions might be considered just as impressive as a record year in easier markets.

8. Don’t be shy!
There is no need to be modest about your achievements or nervous that others may not appreciate them. If you are proud of what you have achieved, say so!

9. Share your passion
Judges like to see evidence of companies’ enthusiasm and care for what they do. If you enjoy what you do, convey it in your entry.

10. Talk to us
We are always very happy to answer any queries you may have about the Awards, to suggest which categories might be appropriate for you to enter, and to allay any concerns you may have. Please call us on 01437 563335 or email the IPG team.