Illustrator Devangana Dash wins Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize for 'Conversations with Aurangzeb'

New Delhi | Illustrator Devangana Dash has been named the winner for the 10th edition of Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize for her cover design of "Conversations with Aurangzeb", authored by Charu Nivedita and translated from Tamil by Nandini Krishnan.

At a ceremony at India Habitat Centre here on Saturday evening, Dash received a trophy, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs one lakh.

"In a world inundated with visuals, where a single prompt can generate an image, the recognition of design and literary processes reaffirms the importance of dialogue, debate, rejection, and the serendipitous victories that shape creative work. Book covers are often judged instantly but rarely understood or engaged with. More power to initiatives like this that celebrate the craft of bookmaking and bring visibility to the design process," Dash said.

In addition to the winning cover, two other designers were recognised by the jury for their command of graphics and visual narratives.

Samar Bansal for the book, "Feathers, Fools and Farts", published by Puffin, and Sharanya Kunnath for "Epicurious", published by Hachette India Children's Books, were noted for their designs.

"I am truly delighted and impressed by the remarkable breadth, diversity and boundless creativity displayed by Indian designers. Their ability to weave together storytelling, innovation, aesthetics and visual appeal is nothing short of extraordinary. The sheer range of artistic expressions, from the intricately detailed to the boldly experimental, reaffirms the vibrancy of India's design landscape," art curator-historian and jury chair Alka Pande said in a statement.

The event also saw the announcement of the longlist for the third Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize.

The longlist of 11 books, recognised for their artistic composition and overall design, includes "Colours of Devotion: The Legendary Paintings and Textiles of Vallabha Sampradaya 1500-1900" by Anita Bharat Shah and published by Niyogi Books; "Baby Knows Best" by Shilarna Vaze and published by HarperCollins; "F.N. Souza: The Archetypal Artist" by Janeita Singh and published by Niyogi Books; "Meditations on Trees" by Ompal Sansanwal and published by Aleph Book Company; "One Pot" by Kavita Chopra Dikshit and published by Delhi Blue Pottery Trust; "Whose Ramayana Is It Anyway?" by Natasha Sarkar and published by Mapin Publishing; "Raza: The Other Modern" by Geeti Sen, Gayatri Sinha, Yashodhara Dalmia and Ashok Vajpeyi and published by Mapin Publishing; and "A Thousand Shadows" self published by Navin Sakhuja.

Other books in the longlist are "Kali: Reverence & Rebellion" by Gayatri Sinha; "Delhi Durbar: Empire, Display and the Possession" by Swapna Liddle and Rana Safvi; and "The Babu & the Bazaar: Art from 19th and Early 20th Century Bengal" by Aditi Nath Sarkar with Shatadeep. All three are published by DAG.