We are pleased to announce the start of accepting applications for the tenth Best Book Design Contest!
Books that were published from December 2024 to November 2025 and were not previously submitted to the Contest are eligible. We are accepting your applications until November 27, 2025 (inclusive), participation in the Contest is free of charge.
The decade of the Best Book Design Contest allows us to see how Ukrainian book design has evolved over the years, to track changes and trends. It is gratifying that this project has grown significantly since its launch and today it truly fulfills its original goal—contributes to the formation of the culture of high-quality publishing in Ukraine, enhances the international visibility of Ukrainian book design, raises the prestige of the design profession, helps promote high-quality books and stimulates the development of the industry
—Yuliia Kozlovets, the Director of the International Book Arsenal Festival.
Due to the efforts of many institutions and specialists, the German book scene is increasingly discovering Ukrainian book publishing. The participation of the winners of the Ukrainian contest in the German contest The Most Beautiful Books of the World plays an important role here.
This year, illustrator, gallerist and publisher Annette Koehn will join the jury of the Best Book Design Contest in Ukraine. Her participation is of particular importance for the Goethe-Institut, as it is not only about expert involvement, but also about a lively exchange of experience, not abroad, but in Ukraine itself. Contact with the Ukrainian creative community opens up new perspectives for German colleagues either—it shows how design in times of trial becomes a form of comprehending reality, a space for professional growth and cultural diplomacy
—Maria Shubchyk, the Head of Communication at the Goethe-Institut Ukraine.
Winners will be selected in five categories:
- Word book (books in which the textual part dominates; poetry, prose, fiction, non-fiction)
- Art book (books about art, albums, photo books, catalogs, artbooks)
- Utilitarian book (books mostly of an applied nature, non-fiction, popular science books, scientific, educational literature, guidebooks, cookbooks, specialized periodicals, etc.)
- Visual storytelling (books of any genre, in which the story is told with the help of visual means, including children’s books, comics)
- Experiment (self-published books, limited editions, zines, editions that use non-traditional printing formats, experiments with visual design, etc.)
Jury members of this year’s Contest:
- Lizaveta German, curator, art historian, co-founder of The Naked Room gallery
- Zakentiy Horobyov, graphic designer, typographer, illustrator
- Glib Kaporikov, graphic and book designer, design director at Projector
- Oleksandra Korchevska-Tsekhosh, graphic, type and digital designer, researcher of Ukrainian design
- Annette Koehn, illustrator, comic artist, publisher (Germany)
- Zhenya Oliinyk, illustrator
- Natasha Chychasova, curator of contemporary art
Among the books submitted to the Contest, a long list (up to 45 books) and a short list of finalists (15 books, 3 books in each of the Contest categories) will be selected, from them the jury will select the winners in each category (5 winners). Among the winners in the 5 categories the Grand Prix Winner of the Contest will be selected.
Before submitting an application to the Contest, please, read the Regulations.
We are waiting for the applications until November 27, 2025 inclusive. Please, deliver physical copies of the books to the address of the Mystetskyi Arsenal office by courier delivery (Ukrposhta, Nova Post, Meest) marked Best Book Design; the books have to be delivered at the sender’s expense or bring them in person to the office of the Public Enterprise “National Art and Culture Museum Complex “Mystetskyi Arsenal”.
Delivery address: Public Enterprise “National Art and Culture Museum Complex “Mystetskyi Arsenal”, 10-12 Lavrska St., Kyiv, 01010. Contact person for delivery—Maryna Askurava, +380667438737
The results of the tenth Best Book Design — 2025 Contest will be announced in early December 2025 on the social media and website of the International Book Arsenal Festival.
The finalists of the contest will represent Ukrainian book design in the international competition organized by the German Buchkunst Foundation; the winning books will also be exhibited at the international book fairs in Leipzig and Frankfurt.
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.
The address for questions and clarifications (indicate НКД/BBD in the subject line of the letter)—[email protected]