The Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize reveals its 2023 longlist of 21 books

The covers of books in multiple languages of India, including English, are among the 21-man longlist for the 2023 Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize, which recognizes the work of artists and designers in creating book covers.

Here is the longlist of 21 books:

watching birdsStephen Alter, Aleph Book Company, cover design by Bena Sareen
The Memorial PoliceYoko Ogawa translated from Japanese by Stephen Snyder, DC Books, cover design by Leeza John
Shakti: An Exploration of the Divine FeminineNilima Chitgopekar, Dorling Kindersley India, cover design by Priyanka Thakur
boys don’t cryMeghna Pant, Ebury Publishing, cover design by Akangksha Sarmah
The Lesbian Cow and Other StoriesIndu Menon translated from Malayalam by Nandakumar K, Eka, cover design by Bhavya/Saurabh Garge
The enlightened oneAnindita Ghose, FourthEstate, cover design by Bonita Vaz-Shimray
Gods, Giants and Geography of IndiaNalini Ramachandran, Hachette India Children’s Books, cover design by Sharanya Kunnath
Onam in a nightgown: stories from a kerala quarantine, Anjana Menon, HarperCollins, Cover design by Anujath Sindhu Vinaylal
Who isn’t afraid of Z? Not me!Lubaina Bandukwala, HarperCollins Children’s Books, cover design by Allen Shaw
Onyoder JibanNeel Mukherjee, translated from English to Bengali by Suchismita Ghosh, Jadavpur University Press, cover design by Trinankur Banerjee
Pebble MonkeyManindra Gupta Translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha, Jadavpur University Press, Cover Design by Paramita Brahmachari
Kankabati Kalpabigyan LekheniEdited by Yashodhora Raychaudhuri, Ankita and Dip Ghosh, Kalpabiswa Publications, cover design by Ujjwal Ghosh
Metronama: Scenes from the Delhi MetroRashmi Sadana, Roli Books, cover design by Shikhar Gaur
India: A Story Through 100 ObjectsVidya Dehejia, Roli Books, cover design by Sneha Pamneja
Motherland: Pushpamala N’s wife and nation, Monica Juneja and Sumathi Ramaswamy, Luster, cover art by Advaita Vats
Growing Up Jewish: Synagogues, Customs, and Communities from the Bene Israel to the Art of Siona BenjaminOri Z Soltes, Niyogi Books, cover design by Misha Oberoi
How the earth got its beautySudha Murty, Puffin, cover art by Akangksha Sarmah and Devangana Dash and cover art by Priyanka Pachpande
Tirahe Par TeenRajni Gupt, Rajpal & Sons, cover design by Archana Jain
A paradox of dreamsHarshali Singh, Readomania Publishing, Cover design by Sourish Mitra
Invisible Realm: The Natural History of VirusesPranay Lal, Vikings, cover design by Ahlawat Gunjan
The Muslim disappearsSaeed Naqvi, vintage, cover art by Antra

This year’s jury consists of Priti Paul (Director Apeejay Surrendra Group), Shobhaa De (Author), Kunal Basu, Shashi Tharoor (MP and Author) and Alka Pande (Academic). Jury leader Alka Pande said that the longlist “celebrates originality and creativity and reflects reality”. The shortlist for the award will be presented at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival in January 2023 and the winner will be announced in Delhi a few weeks later.

Here are the covers.