Dateline Dehradun: In its 9th edition this year, The Valley of Words Book Awards (VBA), supported by the REC, has become more than just your run-of-the-mill awards ceremony. It’s the cornerstone of a literary and arts festival dedicated to nurturing a thriving literary and artistic community throughout the country. Through its Book Awards, VoW celebrates exceptional works across a comprehensive range of categories, including Hindi and English Translations, English Fiction and Non-Fiction, Hindi Fiction and Non-Fiction, Children Literature and Writing for Young Adults (bilingual) in the process of fostering dialogue, bridging inter-generational gaps and inspiring young readers, debutant writers, and artists.
VoW receives a number of nominations, with over 500 entries from 50 publishers across India this year alone. Its commitment to diversity is reflected in the ten longlisted works under eight categories that offer a tangible connection to India’s diverse and rich heritage.
The jurors, comprising of last year’s VBA Winners, bring in their expertise of refining the Shortlist from a pool of exceptional entries. The sheer quality of the submissions present a significant challenge for the jury each year. Remarking on the exceptional quality of the submissions in all categories, Festival Director Sanjeev Chopra said, “each year is a unique experience for us , for the range and diversity of themes, writing styles , cover pages and illustrations (for children books makes the long list selection process extremely demanding). It sets to rest the apprehension in some quarters that the era of reading and writing is over . On the contrary, more books are being published than ever before, and rather than being a competition , AI has been an able assistant for most writers .”
The National Reading Month (from 19 June to 19 July) serves as a benchmark for the VoW Secretariat to unveil its longlist in the honour of P.N. Panicker, the “Father of the Library Movement” which began in Kerala. Panicker strongly believed that education and literacy were the keys to social progress. In 1945, he founded the Kerala Grandhasala Sangham (Library Association), which played a pivotal role in setting up thousands of libraries across the state. Today, Panicker’s legacy lives on through the annual celebration of June 19 as “Reading Day” in India, inspiring generations to embrace the transformative power of books.
Keeping its date with tradition, the Valley of Words will announce its comprehensive longlist for VoW Book Awards, 2025 under all 8 categories over a period of three weeks: English Non-fiction; English Fiction, English Translation, Hindi Translation, Hindi fiction, Hindi Non-fiction, Young Adult Literature, and Childrens Literature (Bilingual) which can be found on their website www.valleyofwords.org
