Annual Juried Exhibit Celebrates Excellence in University Press Design
New York, NY, and Washington, DC—The Association of University Presses (AUPresses) proudly announces the juried selections for its 2025 Book, Jacket, and Journal Show. These outstanding examples of university press publications are now on virtual display at https://design.up.hcommons.org/.
Now in its 60th year, the show honors the university publishing community’s design and production professionals. By recognizing achievement in design, production, and manufacture of print publications, it also sparks thoughtful, creative, and resourceful publishing design in the future.
Open to AUPresses member publishers worldwide for works published in 2024, this year’s competition attracted 575 submissions in these categories:
- Scholarly books, typographic and illustrated
- Trade books, typographic and illustrated
- Poetry and literature books
- Reference books
- Journals
- Jackets and covers (of books and journals)
“The Book, Jacket, and Journal Show has always been my favorite part of the AUPresses Annual Meeting, so it has been a privilege to be part of the behind-the-scenes experience along with our fabulous team of committee members,” said Book, Jacket, and Journal Show Committee chair Michelle van der Merwe, Assistant Director, Production and Editorial Services at the University of British Columbia Press. “And, wow, this year’s entries offered such a rich profusion of creativity, thoughtfulness, and talent—our amazing jurors did not have an easy task!”
The 2025 show jurors, who gathered in January at the AUPresses office in New York to evaluate entries, are:
- Alban Fischer, who has designed hundreds of book covers and interiors since 2009, including works selected for several AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers features; recognized by The Book Cover Archive, Literary Hub, Print, and Spine; and included in the 2017 AUPresses show;
- Lara Minja, Principal and designer of Lime Design Inc., in Victoria, British Columbia, whose work has been widely recognized by The Alcuin Society, AUPresses, PubWest, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and Design Professionals of Canada, among others;
- Debbie Berne, author and designer of The Design of Books: An Explainer for Authors, Editors, Agents, and Other Curious Readers (2024, University of Chicago Press), who has designed hundreds of books since 2002, including her favorites: children’s picture books and cookbooks; and
- Angela Moody, who has shaped the visual landscape for over three decades, primarily as a branding designer but also with a focus in book cover design, collaborating with diverse clients, including university presses. Her work was recognized in the 2023 AUPresses show.
Fischer and Minja identified 57 outstanding book and journal entries from a field of 165 submissions. “Opportunities like this to nerd out with my peers about ‘graceful leading,’ ‘deftly leveraged grids,’… and, in the process, to celebrate the labor and vision of our fellow precariat are not only rare, but vital,” Fischer said.
“The impressive compilation of this year’s award-winning books is evident of the commitment, skill, and craftsmanship alive and well in academic publishing,” Minja said. “It has been an honor not only to witness this work, but to feel its impact.”
Berne and Moody selected the top 58 jacket and cover entries for the show, from 410 entries. “Along with innovative typography, thoughtful imagery, and harmonious color palettes, the most impressive designs featured balance, breath, economy, tension, and, in some cases, humor,” Moody noted.
“Spending the day with beautiful, interesting, creative work is such a pleasure,” Berne observed.
The jurors will share their insights and discuss their process with attendees on Wednesday, June 11, during the 2025 Virtual AUPresses Annual Meeting.
In addition to being presented in an online gallery, the publications, jackets, and covers honored this year also comprise a traveling exhibition, set to visit select member institutions from September 2025 through May 2026.
This year’s organizing committee donated unselected books to the Book Cellar, as did last year’s committee. Located in the Webster Branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), this nonprofit bookstore contributes more than $100,000 annually to support NYPL branch library services.
The traveling exhibition of the 2024 show will continue to tour the UK, Canada, and the US through June (schedule available here).
About the Association of University Presses
AUPresses is an organization of more than 160 international nonprofit scholarly publishers. Since 1937, the Association of University Presses advances the essential role of a global community of publishers whose mission is to ensure academic excellence and cultivate knowledge. The Association holds intellectual freedom, integrity, stewardship, and equity and inclusion as core values. AUPresses members are active across many scholarly disciplines, including the humanities, arts, and sciences, publish significant regional and literary work, and are innovators in the world of digital publishing.