The Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize announced its final shortlist of seven covers for this year’s edition of the prize at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival on January 11. The seven titles, in both English and Hindi were narrowed down from the longlist of sixteen covers, announced in November. Currently in its third edition, the prize was set up by the Oxford bookstores to “recognise and encourage the extraordinary work of illustrators, designers and publishers throughout India.”

In its first year the prize was given to designer Bena Sareen for Talking of Justice by Leila Seth, and to Pinaki De for Kalkatta by Kunal Basu in the following year. This year’s jury is composed of hotelier Aman Nath, art critic and curator Alka Pande, photographer Dayanita Singh, Director of the Apeejay Surrendra Group Priti Paul and artist Jagannath Panda. The winner will be announced at the Jaipur Literature Festival on January 25.

The seven titles on the shortlist are:

  • Achanak Ek Kavita by Vishvjit (Mugdha Sadhwani, Yatra Books)
  • Akbar by Shazi Zaman (Puja Ahuja, Rajkamal Prakashan)
  • Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life, edited by Namita Gokhale and Ruskin Bond (Maithili Doshi Aphale, Speaking Tiger)
  • The House That Spoke by Zuni Chopra (Devangana Dash, Penguin Random House India)
  • Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent by Pranay Lal (Gunjan Ahlawat, Penguin Random House India)
  • Walking with Nanak by Haroon Khalid (Haitenlo Semy, Tranquebar)
  • White Crane, Lend Me Your Wings: A Tibetan Tale of Love and War by Tsewang Yishey Pemba (Niyogi Books)