Search on to find the An Post Bookshop of the Year 2021
A SEARCH is officially underway to find the An Post Bookshop of the Year for 2021. The category has been added to the upcoming An Post Irish Book Awards, the annual literary event that celebrates and promotes Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible.
The new An Post Bookshop of the Year category is designed to acknowledge the significant role played by independent bookshops and local book store chain branches right across the country in helping their local communities to find and savour the titles of their choice, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Customers simply have to click onto https://www.anpost.com/bookshopoftheyear to submit their nomination for their favourite bookshop. They will also have the option to explain the reasons for their choice. Readers can also enter by scanning the QR code in their preferred bookstore and following the instructions. Everyone who votes will be entered into a draw to win a €100 book voucher.
Nominations will close on August 31 and a shortlist consisting of one shop from each of the five regions (Leinster, Dublin, Munster, Connaught, Ulster) will be identified. The overall winner will be revealed at the An Post Irish Book Awards on November 23.
Each year, the An Post Irish Book Awards bring together a vast community passionate about books - readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians - to recognise the very best of new and established Irish writing talent and 2021 will be no different. The Bookshop of the Year will now be added to the wide range of other categories already in existence including Novel of the Year, Children’s (Junior and Senior), Cookery, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Nonfiction, Sports, Short Story, Poetry, Teen and Young Adult and Irish Language.
John Treacy, chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, says the new An Post Bookshop of the Year category is a very welcome addition: “The past year has been tumultuous for all businesses, but what it has shown is that bookshops really do sit at the heart of their communities’ cultural and social lives. They often function as valuable community hubs that encourage personal connection and create vital local networks that greatly enrich the lives of people they serve.
“In the age of eBooks and podcasts, these bookshops are proving that the print book is still very much in demand. We are therefore really delighted to introduce the Bookshop of the Year category to recognise and acknowledge the important role bookshops and booksellers play in the Irish literary industry.”