The 17th ICMA Worldwide Book Award 2026 is an international competition for book and editorial design. It is the books section of the International Creative Media Award and looks at how content and form work together, including cover design, typography, layout, paper, binding and production.
The competition accepts many types of books, including scientific and educational books, children’s books, graphic novels, non-fiction, cookbooks, art and architecture books, photo books, book series, corporate books and general literature. There are also categories for innovative book concepts, non-books and calendars, plus specialist categories for covers, typography and layout, illustration, overall book design and print finishing.
Judging takes the complete design of each publication into account. Depending on the category, the jury considers elements such as the cover, format, typography, layout, illustrations, materials and how well the design suits the content. The ICMA Book Award is international in scope and is organised by the International Editorial Design & Research Forum in Germany.
Entry fee: €100 per book; late submissions from October 16 to November 6, 2026 cost €120 per book. Prices in Germany are subject to statutory VAT.
Eligibility
Open to publishers and anyone involved in book production worldwide, including writers, illustrators, typographers, printers and book designers; standard entries must have been created between January 1, 2025 and October 31, 2026 according to the English 2026 call, while book series follow a separate publication window.
Prize
The ICMA presents Gold, Silver and Bronze awards, plus Awards of Excellence for individual achievements. Winners receive a personalised PDF certificate included in the entry fee. Physical trophies and aluminium certificates can be ordered separately for an additional fee.