“The print book may be dying, but you know who really needs some help? Digital book fans and publishers alike. Our virtual ebookstore shelves are stuffed with hard-to-discover titles and there are depressingly few ways to find out what’s new, what’s innovative, and—let’s face it—what’s free of formatting glitches. Kudos, then, to the Publishing Innovation Awards. Powered by a selection process that combines the judging panel’s seasoned taste with a drill sergeant-like checklist, it’s a great system for uncovering the best of the best. I’m honored to join a lineup of fellow publishing mavens and share the gems I’ve found while wading knee-deep through, well, a lot of non-gems. Thanks to efforts like these awards, 2011 should be a year in which more and more ebook readers turn into ebook lovers.”
—Peter Meyers, Author, Digital Book Producer and PIA Judge
A Publishing Innovation Award winner stands for innovation, design, usability, and compelling content presented consistently. Winners of a PIA conceive their title’s digital format as equal to its print counterpart and explore the bounds of what the “book” can truly be. Enhancements and additions to the title add to the reader’s experience with the content and do not distract from the message of the text. From conception to execution, PIA winners exemplify the best in digital publishing.
Entries are judged holistically across formats and devices. For more on the QED judging criteria, click here.
Publishing Innovation Award Judging Criteria
- Innovation – Entries marked highly for innovation will have been conceived and executed in novel ways. Innovative titles look past their print counterparts and approach their platform natively by pushing the bounds of what has been done before.
- Design – Well designed entries display their content clearly and communicate their message effectively.
- Usability – Entries that score well for usability are intuitive and the features and/or layout accessible for readers.
- Content – Winning entries will have excellent content that enriches, enlightens, and satisfies readers.
- Consistency – The title shows appropriate information hierarchy and font treatments throughout.
As in diving, something moderately difficult executed well will be judged more highly than something extremely difficult done poorly. The Publishing Innovation Awards reward titles that improve the experience of readers – a title’s features should be additive, not distracting.
The Publishing Innovation Awards will be judged by acknowledged experts in ebooks, enhanced ebooks, and book apps.