Shortlists have been released for the 2025 Chytomo Award, which is "aimed at highlighting those who are transforming Ukraine's publishing industry and making Ukrainian literature increasingly visible worldwide." The International Renaissance Foundation is the main partner of the award, which is also held in cooperation with the Frankfurt Book Fair. The category winners, who will be named January 29 in Kyiv, each receive UAH 150,000 (about $3,455). See the complete shortlists here.
"The jury's work this year did not encounter any major disagreements," Oleksandr Mymruk, jury chair, managing editor, and head of the Chytomo public organization, said. "Our views on who should be among the award finalists turned out to be quite similar, which is evidence that all shortlisted participants truly deserve their place there, and that their work over the past year has been visible not only in Ukraine."
Iryna Baturevych, co-founder of the award and a member of its organizing committee, commented: "This year, it is particularly telling that among the ambitions and achievements of the shortlisted nominees is the ability to retain and expand their readership. This is the most pressing challenge facing the market today, and addressing it is the task of both profile institutions and cultural practitioners. Most likely, it is precisely the ability to attract and bring together new (as well as existing) readers that will determine what publishing in Ukraine looks like in the future. The past year has shown how difficult this is, especially against the backdrop of crises that continue to deepen in wartime conditions. That is why their achievements seem especially worthy of recognition."
One of the nominated publishing entities in the Publishing Market Trendsetter category will also receive the Frankfurt Book Fair Special Award.