The Publishing Post and Society of Young Publishers Announce the Return of the First Chapter Award

Following the success of its inaugural year, The Publishing Post and the Society of Young Publishers (SYP) are proud to announce the return of The First Chapter Award for its second year — a unique initiative celebrating the determination and passion of early-career professionals whose valuable contributions and passion are critical to their teams, companies or the industry at large.

Launched in 2024, The First Chapter Award is open to those entering into or who are within the first five years of their career within publishing or book-related industries. The award is also open to a wide variety of individuals within the book and publishing community in a bid to highlight the interconnected nature of the community and recognise all who make up the industry.

This award is open to a broad range of individuals at the very beginning of their careers, including:

• Hopefuls: Individuals aspiring to break into the publishing industry.

• Booksellers: Those whose passion and knowledge of books keeps things spinning.

• Early Publishing and Book-Related Industry Professionals: Those who have recently started their careers and are adding notable value to their team.

• Volunteers: Individuals who donate their time and effort to literary festivals, book events, organisations, and reading charities.

• Influencers: Those who are sharing insight and a love for the industry and reading in their spare time.

• Librarians: Professionals dedicated to fostering a love for books and reading within communities.

• Freelancers: Those working as freelancers within the book industry to support teams or elevate book-related activities.

The First Chapter Awards celebrates those early in their career who show a determination to supporting their team and a passion for the industry.

Chelsea Graham, Founder and Editor in Chief of The Publishing Post said: "The award is very close to our mission at The Publishing Post, and we couldn’t be more excited to collaborate again with the brilliant SYP and read all of the wonderful submissions."

Submissions for the 2025 awards will open mid-July and individuals can self-nominate or nominate others. This is a fantastic chance for managers and colleagues to give a shoutout to their amazing teammates. If you know someone who’s been rocking their role, nominate them! We’re all about peer support too, so if you think a fellow volunteer or colleague deserves recognition, go ahead and nominate them.

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when applications are open!

Winners will be awarded at the SYP London Conference in November where they will have the opportunity to take part in a panel celebrating their work.

The 2025 judging panel will be announced shortly on both organisations’ websites and social channels.

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Society of Young Publishers

The SYP is a membership organisation whose aim is to provide a supportive network and be a trusted source of information for anyone, of any age, hoping to get into or ahead in publishing or a related trade.

The SYP is made up of seven regional committees (Ireland, London, North, Oxford, Scotland, South West and Wales) and a UK committee responsible for overseeing the overall strategy of the group and producing the InPrint magazine. These teams are made up of dedicated volunteers who give up their spare time to help our members.