Congratulations to ABC Excellence Awards Winners 2023
Many congratulations to the winners of the Accessible Books Consortium International Excellence Awards for Accessible Publishing, announced today at The Sharjah Book Fair.
The awards are divided into 2 categories with an impressive set of finalists for each.
Publisher Award Winner: Bokförlaget Hegas AB
Swedish publisher Hegas was recognized for “its outstanding achievements in inclusiveness, thoroughness of its accessible production methodology and overall impact.” The Awards jury made special note of Hegas’ focus on inclusiveness, as evidenced by their collection of books in Arabic, as well as their commitment to producing their books in accessible formats for a wide variety of children with different reading abilities.
Congratulations also go to the other finalists in this category:
- Accessible Publishers Limited (Nigeria)
- Gerbera Ediciones (Argentina)
Initative Award Winner: The Accessible Reading Materials Library, Chetana Charitable Trust of India
This winner has done wonderful work in recent years to serve an online readership in more than 100 countries. The library started as a physical library for local children with print disabilities,but its reach grew rapidly during the pandemic period developing into a major online resource/ Founder, Namita Jacob, commented “We believe that in building accessible books, people of all ages learn to be more creative, sensitive and intuitive and in this way, we are building a better, more inclusive world.”
Congratulations also go to the other finalists in this category:
- Julie Ganner and Dr Agata Mrva-Montoya (Australia) for their contributions to “Books without barriers: a practical guide for inclusive publishing”
- Kalimat Foundation (United Arab Emirates) – who also received a special commendation award for their continued leadership in the field of accessibility across the Arab-speaking world.
- Oysters & Pearls (Uganda)
Nominees were judged on the criteria of outstanding leadership or achievements in improving the accessibility of ebooks or other digital publications for persons who are print disabled.