“Espreso. Reader's Choice” Book Award was established to acknowledge the best Ukrainian literary novelties of the year and to encourage Ukrainians to read. We strive for publishers to find their way to readers through recommendations, readers and reputable experts’ reviews.
The awarding procedure is divided into three stages:
STAGE 1 – the Committee accepts applications of publishers for the participation of their books in the Award (in 2019, a total of 146 books from 38 publishers was accepted) in two nominations: "Child and adolescent literature" and "Adult literature".
STAGE 2 – expert jury of 24 persons (acknowledged journalists and literary critics, writers, professors of Ukrainian universities) shortlists three books in each nomination for the final stage.
STAGE 3 – selection of the winner among the shortlist by readers in libraries all over Ukraine.
The unusualness of the Award is that its winner is determined by readers who vote in the libraries of Ukraine. In 2019, the number of libraries willing to collaborate in the project increased to 276.