Schönste Deutsche Bücher 2023

The 25 Schönste Deutsche Bücher 2023 (25 Most Beautiful German Books of 2023) have been announced. The Stiftung Buchkunst (Book Art Foundation) honors the best-designed books of the year. 603 submissions competed for these coveted awards.

In the competition for the Schönste Deutsche Bücher, two expert juries carefully selected the 25 most beautiful books of the year. Fourteen jurors deliberated for seven days on the submitted titles. The 25 selected books are exemplary in terms of design, concept, and craftsmanship, showcasing a wide range of design and production possibilities.

Christina Schmid, publisher at Prima.Publikationen and a member of the First Jury 2023, commented on this year’s jury work: “Our task is to evaluate how the exterior matches the interior. We highlight those books that consider both the inner and outer aspects together.”

Mark Kiessling, designer and founder of the Berlin bookstore do you read me?! and a member of the Second Jury 2023, shared his experience: “What surprised me was how difficult it can be to make a selection. We no longer approach it subjectively and look for personal favorites; instead, we consider different aspects such as craftsmanship and typography. It’s fascinating to hear the arguments of other jury members, what they focus on and what matters less to them. Each of us has our own background.”

The Preis der Stiftung Buchkunst, endowed with 10,000 euros, will be announced on September 8th, 2023, during the award ceremony at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt. It will be selected by a special jury from the 25 Schönsten Deutschen Bücher. Further information about the ceremony will be announced during the summer.

FIRST IMPRESSION PROMOTIONAL AWARD
The winners of the second competition, the Förderpreis für junge Buchgestaltung (Promotional Award for Young Book Design), have also been chosen. This year, 164 submissions competed for the three prizes, each endowed with 2,000 euros. This competition by the Stiftung Buchkunst recognizes particularly innovative and forward-thinking projects that further develop the medium of the book conceptually.

NEXT IMPRESSION PROMOTIONAL AWARD
The Stiftung Buchkunst will introduce this year’s award winners in the coming weeks through short Instagram Live sessions on their channel @stiftungbuchkunst. The interim director of the Stiftung Buchkunst, Carolin Blöink, will interview the participants about their awarded projects. The three selected works will be extensively showcased from 13th July to 26th August, 2023, in an exhibition at the einBuch.haus in Berlin.

All award-winning titles will be presented at book fairs in Germany and abroad, as well as in numerous exhibitions in libraries and bookstores. The permanent exhibition in the foyer of the Literaturhaus Frankfurt will also continue.

25 Schönsten Deutschen Bücher 2023

Buchfotografien: © Stiftung Buchkunst, Photos: Uwe Dettmar
Fotografien zur Juryarbeit © Stiftung Buchkunst, Photos: Franziska Herbert