Four Fremantle Press books are in the running for Best Published Book Design Award
Artists Kelly Canby, Rebecca Mills and Nada Backovic have all been honoured in the inaugural Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards. Their book cover designs for A Leaf Called Greaf (Kelly Canby), Courage Be My Friend (Rebecca Mills), I am the Mau (Rebecca Mills), and The Skeleton House (Nada Backovic) are longlisted for the Best Published Book Design Award.
Rebecca Mills said she was humbled to hear that the cover designs for Courage Be My Friend and I Am the Mau have been included in the Whitsundays Writers Festival Best Published Book Cover Design Longlist! She said, ‘Working with Fremantle Press to create covers for their exceedingly talented authors’ stories is truly a privilege – as is working with the absolutely stunning visual creative work that form the basis of these covers! Gratitude to Briony Stewart for the beautiful illustration for Courage Be My Friend and Thandiwe Muriu for the stunning photo that graces I am the Mau.’
The Whitsundays Festival launched the Literary Heart Awards earlier this year, offering cash prizes to recognise and honour outstanding contributions to the literary and design landscape.
In a media release about the awards, Festival President Karen Jacobsen said, ‘We believe in celebrating the richness of Australian creativity in all its forms. The Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards are a testament to our commitment to recognising and rewarding the extraordinary talents within our community.’
The judges assessed each cover on whether the title was clear, readable and effectively conveyed the genre; its visual appeal and appropriateness to the book’s mood; and how well the cover introduced the key elements or characters thereby building a connection with potential readers.
The Heart Award for Best Published Book Cover Design offers a first prize of $1,500 and $500 for the runner-up for original design work for books published in Australia between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024.
The complete longlist is below:
A Leaf Called Greaf –designer Kelly Canby
Birdy – designer Imogen Stubbs
Courage Be My Friend – designer Rebecca Mills
I am the Mau – designer Rebecca Mills
Minutiae – poet and painter Kirsten Johnston
Mums and Mogs –author and illustrator Mick Elliot
The Furphy Anthology 2023 – designer Josh Durham/Design by Committee
The Skeleton House – designer Nada Backovic
They Who Nicked the Sun – designer Nicola Matthews
Those Girls –designer Walker Books Australia
The winner will be announced on Saturday 7 September. More information is available on the website: https://www.whitsundayswriters.com/
