The search is officially underway to find the ‘An Post Bookshop of the Year’ for 2022. After a hugely successful inaugural year in 2021, the category is now back for the second year running in the An Post Irish Book Awards, the annual literary event that celebrates and promotes Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible.
The ‘An Post Bookshop of the Year’ category is designed to acknowledge the significant role played by independent bookshops and local branches of bookshop chains in helping their local communities to find and savour the titles of their choice. The new category was unveiled last year and thousands of votes were cast, with Kenny’s Bookshop in Galway crowned the overall winner.
Customers simply have to click onto www.anpost.com/bookshopoftheyear to submit their nomination for their favourite bookshop. They will also have the option to explain the reason for their choice. Readers can also enter by scanning the QR code in their preferred bookshop and following the instructions. Everyone who votes will be entered into a draw to win a €100 book voucher.
Nominations for the ‘An Post Bookshop of the Year’ will close on September 2 at 5pm. The 12 bookshops around Ireland with the most votes will then be longlisted and invited by the judges to enter a written submission.
Mystery shoppers will visit the 12 shops as part of the judging process. Following this, a shortlist of six shops will be finalised for the ‘An Post Bookshop of the Year’ and they will be officially announced on the 20th October. The overall winner will be presented with their trophy at the An Post Irish Book Awards event on November 23rd. The winner will receive a trophy along with a prize worth €5,000 from An Post Commerce.
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 2022 will be no different. Other categories in the An Post Irish Book Awards include Novel of the Year, Children’s (Junior and Senior ), Cookery, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Non-fiction, Sports, Short Story, Poetry, Teen and Young Adult and Irish Language.
