Best Book Design 2025

The Contest identity: Anna Harnaha

The International Book Arsenal Festival in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Ukraine has held the annual Best Book Design Contest.

This year, 225 applications were submitted. The books which had been published between December 2024 and November 2025 and had not been previously submitted to the Contest were eligible.

JURY

NOMINATIONS

The Grand Prix of the contest and the victory in the category Utilitarian Book goes to the publication Beau Monde on Empire’s Edge: State and Stage in Soviet Ukraine by Mayhill Fowler. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Volodymyr Havrysh. Publisher—RODOVID.

In the category Word Book the winner is the publication Susan Sontag: The Complete Rolling Stone Interview by Jonathan Cott. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Oleksii Salnykov. Technical editor—Mykola Klymchuk. Printing manager—Ruslan Fokin (Publish Pro). Publisher—Osnovy Publishing Named After Solomiia Pavlychko.

In the nomination Art Book the winner is ABRACADABRA by Pavlo Makov. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—3Z Studio. Author of illustrations and/or photographs—Pavlo Makov. Publisher—ist publishing.

In the nomination Visual Storytelling the winner is the book Do You Read Me? On Communication and Understanding Each Other. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Art studio Agrafka (Romana Romanyshyn, Andriy Lesiv). Publisher—The Old Lion Publishing House.

The jury collectively decided that this year there would be two winners in the nomination Experiment:

• Road Works by Olha Kuzovkina. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Olha Kuzovkina. Authors of illustrations and/or photographs—Olha Kuzovkina, Viktoriia Hermanenko, Yevheniia Katashynska, Oleksii Salnykov, Vlad Boiko, Maryna Zevako, Svitlana Korniienko, Oleksandr Babariko. Publisher—self-published.
• Photos from the Frontline. The Diary of Collective Memories by Oleksandra Klod. Publication concept—Oleksandra Klod, Alona Karavai. Book design and layout—Yaroslava Kovalchuk. Photographs—Olga Nemtseva, Iryna ISky, Ala Lis, Ryan Christopher Collins, Oleksiy Valuisky-Sharygin. Publisher—Ilostmylibrary.

Finalists of the Best Book Design — 2025 Contest:

Nomination Word Book:

• Susan Sontag: The Complete Rolling Stone Interview by Jonathan Cott. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Oleksii Salnykov. Technical editor—Mykola Klymchuk. Printing manager—Ruslan Fokin (Publish Pro). Publisher—Osnovy Publishing Named After Solomiia Pavlychko.
• My War by Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout—Volodymyr Havrysh. Author of illustrations and/or photographs—Pavlo Yurkin. Publisher—The Library of Babel.
• The Stories of Ukrainian Artists—1. Oleksandra Ekster by Anna Lodyhina; 2. Nil Khasevych by Marchela Mozhyna. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Glib Kaporikov. Publisher—Projector Publishing.

Nomination Art Book:

• ABRACADABRA by Pavlo Makov. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—3Z Studio. Author of illustrations and/or photographs—Pavlo Makov. Publisher—ist publishing.
• Tatlin: Kyiv by Peter Doroshenko, Tetiana Filevska, Oksana Semenik. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Volodymyr Havrysh. Publisher—RODOVID.
• Pretty Ghetto by Polina Polikarpova. Design and layout—Valeriia Huievska. Prepress—Olena Zenchenko. Technical editor—Mykola Klymchuk. Printing manager—Ruslan Fokin (Publish Pro). Author of illustrations and/or photographs—Polina Polikarpova. Publisher—Osnovy Publishing Named After Solomiia Pavlychko.

Nomination Utilitarian Book:

• Beau Monde on Empire’s Edge: State and Stage in Soviet Ukraine by Mayhill Fowler. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Volodymyr Havrysh. Publisher—RODOVID.
• So to Speak by Veronika Seleha, Kyrylo Andrieiev, Olena Kozeletska, Bohdan Oslavskyi. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Volodymyr Havrysh. Author of illustrations and/or photographs—Danyl Shtanhieiev. Publisher—ist publishing.
• More Than a Team by Artur Lupashko. Concept—Artur Lupashko, punkt publishing. Design and layout—Daria Stetsenko. Publisher—punkt publishing.

Nomination Visual Storytelling:

• Do You Read Me? On Communication and Understanding Each Other. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Art studio Agrafka (Romana Romanyshyn, Andriy Lesiv). Publisher—The Old Lion Publishing House.
• A Brief History of a Long War by Mariam Naiem, Yulia Vus and Ivan Kypibida. Idea of ​​the comic strip and concept of the series—Lilia Omelianenko and Eliash Strongowski. Cover design, publication architectonics— Eliash Strongowski. Layout—Bohdan Mokriiev, Kateryna Bazarova. Illustrations—Yulia Vus, Ivan Kypibida. Publisher—Vydavnytsvo Publishing House.
• Why Chicago? by Maria Baglai. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Zakentiy Horobyov. Publisher—Magenta Art Books.

Nomination Experiment:

• Road Works by Olha Kuzovkina. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Olha Kuzovkina. Authors of illustrations and/or photographs—Olha Kuzovkina, Viktoriia Hermanenko, Yevheniia Katashynska, Oleksii Salnykov, Vlad Boiko, Maryna Zevako, Svitlana Korniienko, Oleksandr Babariko. Publisher—self-published.
• Photos from the Frontline. The Diary of Collective Memories by Oleksandra Klod. Publication concept—Oleksandra Klod, Alona Karavai. Book design and layout—Yaroslava Kovalchuk. Photographs—Olga Nemtseva, Iryna ISky, Ala Lis, Ryan Christopher Collins, Oleksiy Valuisky-Sharygin. Publisher—Ilostmylibrary.

• The Discipline of Practice by Serhii Rafalskyi. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Olha Kuzovkina. Author of illustrations and/or photographs—Serhii Rafalskyi. Publisher—self-published.
• The Mayor’s Funeral by Igor Chekachkov. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)— Ania Nałęcka-Milach (Tapir Book Design). Author of photographs—Igor Chekachkov. Publisher—Museum of Kharkiv School of Photography.

Special Honors The Best Book Design — 2025:

• The jury’s Special Honor For the Fundamental Nature and Purity of the Final Edition, Attention and Respect for the Practice of the Outstanding Photographer, as well as the Special Design Skill of ‘Not Interfering with Photography’ goes to the book Oleksandr Hliadielov. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Volodymyr Havrysh. Author of photographs—Oleksandr Hliadielov. Publisher—ist publishing.
• The jury’s Special Honor For Irony in Design goes to the publication Surveillance Is Underway by Oleksandr Popenko.
  Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Dasha Podoltseva. Author of photographs—Oleksandr Popenko. Publisher—self-published.
• The jury awarded the Special Honor For Sensuality in Design to the book I Am Going Home to Eat Mulberries from a Tree. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Katia Lesiv. Publisher—ist publishing.
• The jury’s Special Honor For Work with Fonts goes to the book Manifestos That Changed the Design of the World. Compiled by—Yevheniia Butsykina. Book artistic design (publication concept, cover design, book architectonics, layout)—Glib Kaporikov. Publisher—Projector Publishing.

The Long List of the Contest Finalists

---

What will the winners of the Contest receive?

The winner of the Grand Prix will receive the main prize of the Contest—the iconic statuette of the Contest.

All finalists, winners and holders of special honors of the Contest will receive honorary diplomas and will represent Ukrainian book design in the international competition The Most Beautiful Books of the World, organized by the German Foundation Buchkunst. The collection of the winning books will be exhibited at the international book fairs in Leipzig and Frankfurt in 2026.

All publications submitted to the Contest that did not receive awards and special honors will be donated to Lesia Ukrainka Central City Library (Kherson) and Kherson Regional Library for Children.

---

All photos in this material—by Daria Lanova.

---

The Best Book Design Contest is held by the International Book Arsenal Festival in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Ukraine.

The project partner is the Buchkunst Foundation.

The media partners of the Best Book Design — 2025 Contest are the online platform for creative industries CASES and the Telegram Channel Design-Borshch.