The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Book Awards for Building, Architecture and Interior Design, supported by RIBA Bookshops and the RIBA Trust are calling for entries for the 2008 awards. The awards celebrate exceptional writing that inspires greater interest and pleasure in the many and diverse aspects of architecture, construction and design. There are two new categories this year and entry to the 2008 awards programme is entirely free and open to all publishers.
The awards will be presented in four categories;
Category 1: RIBA Sir Robert McAlpine International Book Award for Construction
Category 2: - New - RIBA International Book Award for Interior Design
Category 3: RIBA Sir Nikolaus Pevsner International Book Award for Architecture
Category 4: - New - RIBA International Book Award for Architectural Practice
Closing date for submissions is 31 December 2007. The long list will be announced in January 2008, the short list in April and the winners will be announced in a formal presentation ceremony in May 2008. Further information can be found at www.ribabookshops.com/awards|
Judged by some of the most eminent figures in the industry, the selection committee will be invited to nominate what they consider are the most exceptional books from a highly competitive field. Entries are expected to contain a high yield of outstanding publications that explore developments and advances in such areas as historic research and analysis, building design, building conservation and restoration, engineering and material technology, or building processes.
John Morgan, Executive Book Award Administrator, RIBA Bookshops, is looking forward to this year's expanded competition:
"Considerable international interest in the awards was again very evident, last month when the 2008 awards programme was launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair. This year two new categories are added, which recognise the multidisciplinary nature of the wider construction industry. The awards will provide an unrivalled platform and showcase for the best writing about architecture, design and construction in 2007"
The 2007 RIBA International Book Awards had two award categories. Interpreting the Renaissance: Princes, Cities, Architects by Manfredo Tafuri (Yale University Press) won The Sir Nikolaus Pevsner International Book Award for Architecture, and Stone Conservation: Principles and Practice, Ed: Alison Henry (Donhead Publishing) won the Sir Robert McAlpine International Book Award for Construction. Other books that reached the later stages of the awards proved to be core library titles of any architectural practice and the subject matter of the winning books is invariably a key indicator of forthcoming trends.