Celebrating global innovation in AI, accessibility and discoverability

International Digital Publishing Awards honor innovators from US, Kenya and Europe

The winners of this year's Digital Publishing Awards were announced today at a major stage event at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The selection of winners reflects the diversity of solutions with which the industry is responding to the challenges of the AI revolution, inclusion and discoverability.

Photos: Corinna Mehl/Johanna Baschke

PRODUCT / BUSINESS MODEL: eKitabu's Digital Story Time delivers accessible early-grade reading materials in Kenyan Sign Language.

PROCESS / TECHNOLOGY: EARS by Miutbooks is a cloud-based SaaS platform that streamlines every stage of audiobook production, solving day-to-day pains of publishers and studios.

START-UP: Shimmr drives discoverability and book sales ​by creating and deploying ​automated, end-to-end advertising.

DIGITAL LEADER(SHIP): Virginie Clayssen has dedicated over four decades to advancing the sector's evolution from traditional print to digital frontiers.

Read the jury's reasons below.

In her keynote speech, "Beyond the Page. How African Innovators Are Reimagining Publishing", Ama Dadson built a bridge to the winner in the Product/Business Model category, eKitabu's Digital Story Time. Innovations in the industry are no longer primarily taking place in the major Western book markets, but also on the fringes, sometimes in cooperation with Western companies.

The jury praised the consistently high quality of submissions, which included noteworthy discoveries even for experienced members. As in previous years, audio, Edtech and AI emerged as primary themes. Notably, AI applications are now integrated as core features within products and services rather than appearing as standalone tools.

The award is sponsored by Bookwire, Beat Technology, and Zebralution Digital Publishing, with support from Frankfurter Buchmesse, EDRLab, and Publishers Without Borders. It is presented by digital publishing report and Publishing Perspectives.

Photos of the award ceremony will soon be available at https://www.digital-publishing-award.com/press.

The winners

PRODUCT / BUSINESS MODEL (powered by Bookwire)

eKitabu: Digital Story Time

Statement of the award’s jury:

Digital Story Time by eKitabu Studio KSL wins in Product and Business Model for transforming education for deaf children across Africa. This team has created over 350 sign language storybooks in six African languages, reaching millions. Their model combines social mission with financial sustainability, now enhanced by AI that assesses signed responses. This award celebrates a breakthrough: proof that centering marginalized voices can drive both impact and scale.

PROCESS / TECHNOLOGY

Miutbooks: EARS

Statement of the award’s jury:

EARS by Miutbooks wins in Process and Technology for revolutionizing audiobook production. Built by industry professionals who understood the sector's pain points, EARS consolidates the entire workflow—from recording to delivery—into one cloud platform. Major publishers like Penguin Random House and Saga Egmont already trust it. The result? Teams focus on storytelling, not technical hurdles. This award celebrates EARS as a catalyst for quality and growth in audiobook production.

START-UP (powered by Beat Technology)

Shimmr AI: dto

Statement of the award’s jury:

Shimmr wins the Startup award for transforming book discoverability through AI. Their BookDNA technology analyzes each title's themes and generates compelling ads that deliver six times higher engagement than industry benchmarks and twelve times better follow-through to retail. Publishers can now monetize entire backlists previously too expensive to market. This award celebrates Shimmr for solving publishing's biggest challenge: connecting every book with its ideal audience at scale.

DIGITAL LEADER(SHIP) (powered by Zebralution Digital Publishing)

Virginie Clayssen

From the laudatory speech of Laurent Le Meur, Director and CTO of EDRLab:

"Virginie Clayssen has been at the forefront of innovation, breaking barriers and building bridges between technology and culture. It was the case at Editis, where she served, among other roles, as Director of Innovation. But Virginie’s impact extends far beyond one company.

In her role as President of the Digital Commission at the Syndicat National de l’Édition, Virginie became the voice of the French publishing industry in the digital age.

And under her leadership, EDRLab became a hub for collaboration, a place where publishers, tech experts, and cultural institutions came together to push the boundaries of what’s possible."

Read the following interview in our All About Digital Publishing channel.

Below is the conversation with Virginie about the award .

The shortlist

PRODUCT / BUSINESS MODEL (powered by Bookwire)

Cornelsen Verlag: KI-Tutor Kim, by Duden Learnattack

eKitabu: Digital Story Time

Storytel: Voice Switcher

Westermann Verlag: BiBox

PROCESS / TECHNOLOGY

Bookshop.org: Ebook Plattform

Circular Software: No-Code Accessibility for Fixed-Layout EPUB

Miutbooks: EARS

Studio 47: HyperMedia AI Newsroom

START-UP (powered by Beat Technology)

Biddz: goaudio.ai

Editrix Solutions: Editrix

Lit X: dto

Shimmr AI: dto

Learn more about the nominees

DIGITAL LEADER(SHIP) (powered by Zebralution Digital Publishing)

No shortlist was published for the Digital Leader(ship) category

Participating companies

Quality and diversity define this year's submissions for the Digital Publishing Award. The jury selected 12 finalists from approximately 80 entries representing 16 countries—including major Western book markets as well as Mexico, Kenya, Tunisia, Brazil, and India. The following companies participated in 2025, some with multiple submissions: a&f systems AG, Ailaysa Technologies, ArchiTangle, Audiskills, biddz, Bookalope, BOOKR, Bookshop, Burda, BVK Buchverlag Kempen, Carl Hanser Verlag, Circular Software, Cornelsen, data2type, Editrix Solutions, Editorial Audiolibre, eKitabu, Ernst Klett Sprachen, Ernst Klett Verlag, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Fênix Editorial, glomex, Holzmann Medien, HRH, Jellybooks, Kollo Media, Lit X, Miutbooks, Morbiket, Narrakids/Narratix, NPG, Penguin Random House Audio, Retresco, Shimmr AI, Snackz.ai, Storyside Ab, Storytel, Studio 47, Supadu, Textshine Kinesis Publishing, Verlagsgruppe Oetinger, VNR, Westermann Bildungsmedien Verlag, Wirbelwild, Wolters Kluwer, Wuselfabrik

The jury of 2025

The jury for the digital publishing award includes the following digital experts:

• Eric Bartoletti (Bookwire)

• Olaf Deconinck (Publisher Consultants)

• Talita Facchini

• Emma House (Publishers Without Borders)

• Nathan Hull (Beat Technology)

• Mona Klinkhardt (Ernst Klett Verlag)

• Christian Kohl (Kohl Consulting)

• Anna Lemp (Hachette France)

• Marie-Laurence de Rocher (EDRLab)

Disclaimer: When evaluating individual submissions, jury members abstained if they were or are affiliated in any way with the submitting company.