By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
The Sharjah-based global women’s network, PublisHer, has opened nominations for this year’s PublisHer Excellence Awards. The award, which was founded last year, celebrates and gives a platform to women who are driving the future of publishing and paving the way for more women to take on leadership roles in the industry.Nominations are open to all female leaders in publishing and self-nominations are encouraged.
The awards were created with a three-fold mission: celebrating women’s professional achievements, championing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and promoting professional development. Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, in her comments to the London Book Fair when the award was first announced in 2024, compared a female publisher’s experience to “navigating a vast ocean,” because, she said, it demands “the skill to navigate calm waters, the courage to confront storms, the resilience to sail against the tide, and the wisdom to believe in herself despite uncertainty and myriad challenges.” That is what the award celebrates – the fearlessness of these women in publishing.
Past winners include Shirley Yvonne Carby, chairperson, Carlong Publishers Caribbean Ltd., who was chosen as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her 45-year publishing career; Hana Hamzeh, CEO and founder of Firfree FZE; and Anne Friebel, publisher and founder of Palomaa Publishing, who was announced as the recipient of the Emerging Leader Award.
“Coming from Jamaica — a country without an established publishing tradition — the award was a total surprise,” said Carby after winning the award in 2024. “I am confident that the opportunities PublisHer offers to women, and its focus on diversity and inclusion in non-traditional publishing spaces, will result in more leadership roles for women across the globe in the years to come.”
The shortlist for the awards will be announced on March 12, 2026. The winners will be announced in April 2026, and the awarding ceremony will take place at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair again. The award categories are:
- Emerging Leader – Celebrating a rising publishing star who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, big-picture thinking, and the ability to drive positive change.
- Innovation – Recognizing significant contributions to the publishing business, from innovative storytelling, content curation, and editorial leadership to management strategies, company culture, marketing campaigns.
- Lifetime Achievement – Acknowledging a veteran female publisher who has made a significant and lasting impact on the industry throughout her career.
Nominations close on January 12, so be sure to nominate yourself, a colleague, or a woman who inspires you. For more information or to submit a nomination, visit the website here.