Nationwide search underway to find An Post Bookshop of the Year 2022 - Kilkenny Live  

The search is 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.

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 find and enjoy the perfect title. The new category was unveiled last year and thousands of votes were cast, with Kenny’s Bookshop in Galway crowned the overall winner.

With Kilkenny enjoying a wide variety of book retailers, Kilkenny bookworms now have the opportunity to nominate their own favourite Marble City book shop.

Customers can 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 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 October 20. The overall winner will be presented with their trophy at the An Post Irish Book Awards event on November 23. 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.

John Treacy, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, says:

“Bookshops sit at the heart of their communities’ cultural and social lives, and we introduced this category last year to acknowledge the important contribution they make to not only their communities and readers, but the significant role they play in the Irish book business. The holy trinity of bookshops, writers and readers is a wonderful alliance we should all support, so I’d very much encourage everyone to support their local bookshop and vote for them in the An Post Bookshop of the Year category.”

Aoife Roantree, Chair of Bookselling Ireland, says the organisation is delighted to see the category returning:

“I'm delighted that the 'An Post Bookshop of the Year' prize will return at this year's An Post Irish Book Awards. Booksellers are unsung cultural heroes, working every day to connect readers with books they'll love, to foster a love of reading among children and those new to the world of literature, and to support great new writing and illustrating talent as well as stalwart reader favourites. Please vote for your favourite bookshop, so that we can all make sure to add them to our travel itineraries for the future!”

An Post is also continuing with their hugely successful #ReadersWanted campaign, celebrating the value and joy of reading and encouraging everyone to pick up more books, more often. Simply search for the hashtag online to get involved.

Discover more at: www.anpostirishbookawards.ie