The winners of the 2026 "Most Beautiful Book" have been announced
On November 2, the 2026 "Most Beautiful Book" selections were officially revealed in Shanghai. Out of 370 entries submitted by organizations and individuals, 25 books from 21 publishing houses across 12 provinces and municipalities stood out and earned the title of this year's "Most Beautiful Book."
Group Photo of the Selected Works for the 2026 'Most Beautiful Book' Awards
As one of the most influential book design recommendation events in China, the 'Most Beautiful Book' awards have selected 546 works since its founding in 2003, with 27 of them also earning the title of 'World's Most Beautiful Book.' This year's recommendation campaign started in July and received a total of 370 entries, covering a wide range of fields such as literature, art, science, education, history, and children's books, showing a fairly strong representative spread.
2026 "Most Beautiful Book" Recommendation Event Site
This year's recommendation event continues to meet international professional standards, inviting experienced book designers and publishers from both home and abroad to serve as judges. The judging panel is chaired by Zhang Zhiwei, Director of the Book Design Art Committee of the China Publishing Association and winner of the China Publishing Government Award for Book Design. The panel brings together top figures in book design, including Chen Nan, Deputy Director of the Book Design Art Committee of the China Publishing Association; Qu Minmin, Silver Award winner of the 2026 "World's Most Beautiful Book"; Xu Tianqi, Honorary Award winner of the 2026 "World's Most Beautiful Book"; Dan Sobach, two-time Gold Letter Award winner of the "World's Most Beautiful Book"; and Florian Lam, Honorary Award winner of the "World's Most Beautiful Book," as well as Gong Haiyan, Chair of the Shanghai Changjiang Publishing Exchange Foundation. The event aims to select works that represent the contemporary level of Chinese book design and to participate in international exchange and cooperation.
2026 "Most Beautiful Books" Judging Panel Group Photo (from left to right: Gong Haiyan, Chen Nan, Florian Lam, Dan Solbach, Zhang Zhiwei, Qu Minmin, Xu Tianqi)
In terms of philosophy, the "Most Beautiful Books" has always emphasized the integrity and systematic nature of book design, advocating the dialectical unity of content and form, as well as the substantial enhancement of the reading function through design. The event promotes that the aesthetics of book design should be deeply rooted in the text's connotation, achieving organic integration in text-image arrangement, paper selection, printing processes, and other aspects, pushing book design from mere aesthetic embellishment to a deeper level that optimizes the reading experience. The 2026 "Most Beautiful Books" recommendation event follows the guidance of "balance and moderation," emphasizing a return to the essence of reading in design, discarding complexity and over-packaging, seeking the best fit between form and readability, and pursuing "design that enhances the reading experience."
On this basis, this year's "Most Beautiful Books" recommendation event actively responds to the broader goals of building a culturally strong nation and promoting nationwide reading, continuously encouraging book design to coexist harmoniously with daily life. In the context of digital reading, printed books are rebuilding emotional connections with readers through their unique physical qualities and immersive experiences. As reached in the designers' discussion at the "Most Beautiful Books" seminar this August - design should solidify the fundamental essence, strengthen the expression of Chinese aesthetics, and establish enduring reader connections with sincere language, thereby injecting lasting aesthetic vitality into the deep development of nationwide reading.
It is delightful that many "new faces" have appeared among this year's selected designers, including post-95 emerging talents. They bring a keen reading awareness and mature design skills, offering new expression and injecting new vitality into traditional printed books. Young people's reading habits and aesthetic preferences have changed significantly, so encouraging them to express new design ideas is crucial. Involving more young designers and publishing units is core to ensuring the "Most Beautiful Books" recommendation event can continue to iterate and enhance quality after more than twenty years of development. As such, while promoting nationwide reading and attracting young readers, the event will increasingly focus on actively incorporating young design talent, supporting more innovation.
This year's selected works launch event was hosted by Zhang Anping, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Yangtze Publishing Exchange Foundation, and the judge committee chairman Zhang Zhiwei announced the list of selected works. Co-organizers, including Wang Yan, President of the Shanghai Editors Association, and Zhang Zhiwei, jointly unveiled the 25 selected books.
2026 'Most Beautiful Books' Selected Works Launch Event and Book Design Art Lecture Scene
Wang Yan, president of the Shanghai Editing Society, and Zhang Zhiwei, chair of the judging panel, unveiled 25 selected books.
On the day of the launch, overseas judges Dan Solbach and Florian Lam gave keynote speeches titled "Walking Together, Writing for Whom" and "Notes on Books (and an Economic Perspective)," respectively. They discussed how collaborative relationships shape graphic design practice and how improvements in production processes affect the economic logic of book production. Both talks shared international experiences and offered new perspectives on the development of book design in China. The "Most Beautiful Books" recommendation event, as an important platform for cultural exchange in book design, aims to connect perspectives from China and abroad, promote shared aesthetic appreciation, and blend world design trends with distinctive national cultural features. It continues to drive innovation and play a positive role in cultural exchange and mutual learning.
Keynote speech by judge Dan Sulbach for the 2026 'Most Beautiful Book'
Florian Lam, a judge for the 2026 'Most Beautiful Book' awards, gave the keynote speech.
Afterwards, judges Zhang Zhiwei, Chen Nan, Qu Minmin, and Xu Tianqi offered comments on the 25 selected works for this year. They delved into aspects like design concepts, craft presentation, material language, and reading experience. This part of the event has always drawn a lot of attention, and the atmosphere was lively. Many teachers, students, and industry professionals from design, publishing, and media fields said the interactive discussions were detailed and engaging, making it a truly rewarding experience for everyone.
Representatives of the 2026 'Most Beautiful Book' jury, Qu Minmin, Zhang Zhiwei, Chen Nan, and Xu Tianqi, review the selected works
Audience Interaction at the 2026 'Most Beautiful Book' Awards Ceremony
At the end of the awards ceremony for the selected works and the book design art lecture, Wang Yan, President of the Shanghai Editors Association, gave a speech. He expressed hope that the 'Most Beautiful Book' recommendation event would continue to promote high-quality development in Chinese book design, encourage more publishers, designers, and young colleagues to get involved, and also wished that the 25 selected works this year would achieve excellent results at the 2027 'World's Most Beautiful Book' awards in Leipzig, Germany.
2026 'Most Beautiful Book' Selected Works
