International Digital Publishing Awards honor innovators from US, Kenya and Europe
The winners of this year’s Digital Publishing Awards were announced today at a major stage event at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The selection of winners reflects the diversity of solutions with which the industry is responding to the challenges of the AI revolution, inclusion and discoverability.
PRODUCT / BUSINESS MODEL: eKitabu’s Digital Story Time delivers accessible early grade reading materials in Kenyan Sign Language.
PROCESS / TECHNOLOGY: EARS by Miutbooks is a cloud-based SaaS platform that streamlines every stage of audiobook production, solving day-to-day pains of publishers and studios.
START-UP: Shimmr drives discoverability and book sales by creating and deploying automated, end-to-end advertising.
DIGITAL LEADER(SHIP): Virginie Clayssen has dedicated over four decades to advancing the sector’s evolution from traditional print to digital frontiers.
In her keynote speech, „Beyond the Page. How African Innovators Are Reimagining Publishing“, Ama Dadson built a bridge to the winner in the Product/Business Model category, eKitabu’s Digital Story Time. Innovations in the industry are no longer primarily taking place in the major Western book markets, but also on the fringes, sometimes in cooperation with Western companies.
The jury praised the consistently high quality of submissions, which included noteworthy discoveries even for experienced members. As in previous years, audio, Edtech and AI emerged as primary themes. Notably, AI applications are now integrated as core features within products and services rather than appearing as standalone tools.
The award is sponsored by Bookwire, Beat Technology, and Zebralution Digital Publishing, with support from Frankfurter Buchmesse, EDRLab, and Publishers Without Borders. It is presented by digital publishing report and Publishing Perspectives.
