Kolkata, Jan 12: The 11th Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize announced the shortlisted titles for its 2026 edition on the last day of the 17th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF), reaffirming its commitment to celebrating excellence in book cover des

ign as a powerful intersection of visual art, literature, and cultural memory.

The shortlist was unveiled by an eminent jury comprising Dr Alka Pande, Museum Curator and Jury Chair; Dr Kunal Basu, author and academic; Dr Shashi Tharoor, author and Member of Parliament; Shobhaa De, author and columnist; Anja Riederberger, Director, Information Services South Asia, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan; and Samar Jodha, internationally acclaimed visual artist and Guest Juror for the 2026 edition. Together, the jury brings a rare confluence of literary authority, curatorial insight, global visual practice, and cultural diplomacy to the prize.

Instituted to recognise the often-unseen creative labour behind iconic book covers, the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize has, over the years, emerged as one of India’s most respected platforms honouring designers who translate text into compelling visual narratives. From its inaugural award to Bena Sareen for Talking of Justice by Leila Seth, to subsequent winners including Pinaki De, Maithili Doshi Aphale, Bonita Vaz Shimray, Sneha Pamneja, Gunjan Ahlawat, Ishan Khosla, Paramita Brahmachari, Bhavi Mehta, and Devangana Dash, the prize has consistently highlighted design that shapes how readers first encounter a book.

The 2026 shortlist reflects a diverse range of aesthetic approaches, spanning contemporary minimalism, archival depth, typographic and handcrafted innovation, and culturally rooted visual storytelling, underscoring the evolving language of book design in India and beyond.

SHORTLIST – OXFORD BOOKSTORE BOOK COVER PRIZE 2024

1.

NOMINATED BOOK – Carnival: A Novel

NAME OF THE AUTHOR – Sayam Bandyapadhyay, translated by Arunava Sinha

NAME OF THE DESIGNER – Pinaki De

NAME OF THE PUBLISHER – Aleph Book Company

2.

NOMINATED BOOK – Becoming Bangalore

NAME OF THE AUTHOR – Roopa Rai

NAME OF THE DESIGNER – Priya Kurien

NAME OF THE PUBLISHER – Hachette India

 3.

NOMINATED BOOK – The Diary of an Author

NAME OF THE AUTHOR – Ajitabha M Bose

NAME OF THE DESIGNER – Ajitabha M Bose

NAME OF THE PUBLISHER – Ajitabha Publishers

4.

NOMINATED BOOK – The Remains of the Body

NAME OF THE AUTHOR – Saikat Majumdar

NAME OF THE DESIGNER – Shadab Khan

NAME OF THE PUBLISHER – Vintage/ An Imprint of Penguin Random House India

5.

NOMINATED BOOK – Cheriya Manushyarum Valiya Lokavum

NAME OF THE AUTHOR – Govindan Aravindan

NAME OF THE DESIGNER – Ramu Aravinda

NAME OF THE PUBLISHER- DC Books

6.

NOMINATED BOOK – My Beloved Life: A Novel

NAME OF THE AUTHOR – Amitava Kumar

NAME OF THE DESIGNER – Bena Sareen

NAME OF THE PUBLISHER – Aleph Book Company

7.

NOMINATED BOOK – Flashlights: An Anthology of Very Short Stories

NAME OF THE AUTHOR – Edited by Marzia Rahman & Rituparna Mukherjee

NAME OF THE DESIGNER – Bishnupriya Chowdhuri

NAME OF THE PUBLISHER – Moving Words/ An Imprint of The Antonym Collections