4 min readJun 25, 2026 04:58 PM IST
First published on: Jun 1, 2026 at 07:21 PM IST
“Ten years ago, when this award was instituted, it marked a long-awaited recognition of the art of book cover design,” said Bena Sareen, as she accepted the 11th Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize at the India Habitat Centre. “While our canvas is small, it is central to the life cycle of a book.”
Sareen was honoured for her cover of the novel, My Beloved Life by Amitava Kumar, published by Aleph Book Company. A two-time winner, she had previously taken home the inaugural edition award 11 years ago, she thanked Aleph for the “freedom to imagine, experiment, and often digress from briefs.”
Apeejay Surrendra Group director Priti Paul and jury chair Alka Pande took the centre stage as the hosts of the event. Along with the Book Cover Prize, the 4th Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize longlist was announced alongside the launch of What If? Why Not? by the Ambassador of Morocco to India Mohamed Maliki.
Pande spoke of what Priti Paul had achieved something significant by “making the invisible visible — because we all think of books, we all look at the content, we look at the writer, but we very often forget the designer.” This year more than 270 entries were received. “The quality of work was extraordinarily high,” Dr. Pande said, “and the jury felt strongly about recognising exceptional talent beyond the winner.”
Shashi Tharoor, author, Member of Parliament and jury member since the prize’s first edition, announced the winner. “A truly memorable cover does not merely adorn a book. It interprets its spirit, hints at its ambitions, and first beckons the reader into the universe the author has created,” he said.
Shashi Tharoor on AI
On AI-generated imagery, Tharoor said, great design relies on “not a picture alone, certainly not of the algorithmic kind, but human sensibility, judgment, cultural understanding and the distinctly human capacity to communicate emotion, ambiguity and meaning through form.”
Two jury appreciation awards were announced, including Pinaki De for Carnival and Shadab Khan for The Remains of the Body.
Art Book Prize longlist
Sixteen titles made the Art Book Prize longlist. Speaking at the event, Norwegian Ambassador May-Elin Stener said, “Freedom of expression and artistic freedom are fundamental democratic values.” She further added, “At a time when many parts of the world are experiencing division and uncertainty, spaces that encourage creativity, dialogue and independent artistic voices become even more important.”
The evening closed with Tharoor launching What If? Why Not?, which Tharoor described as a biography that does not seek to preach but through anecdotes, memories, humour and reflection, encourages us to think about our own journeys, our own choices, and the values we carry with us.
In the panel discussion moderated by Pande, Maliki spoke about what 35 years in diplomatic service cost him. “Diplomats always have this dilemma — whether to carry on in their career and climb as high as possible, or choose to be with their family,” he said.
The book, he added, was an attempt to put “the authenticity of myself” on the page — a quality readers, he felt, could sense from the first page. When Dr Pande asked Tharoor about optimism in today’s world, his answer was measured. “The pessimist says everything is bound to go bad. The optimist says we might just get things right — if we do the right things in the right way.”
That possibility, he said, is what keeps people in public life going.
Bena Sareen was honoured for her cover of the novel, My Beloved Life by Amitava Kumar. 
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