The ABA National Book Collecting Prize 2025

Do you have more than ten books with a unifying theme? Then consider yourself a budding book collector!

The ABA is delighted to announce that our successful national student book collecting competition has been expanded and is now open to ALL young book collectors aged between 18-30, with a chance to win £500 and have your collection exhibited at the prestigious Firsts London Book fair at the Saatchi Gallery.

The winner will also be given a complimentary Friends of the ABA membership for a year, allowing them to attend ABA tours and events, together with a year's online subscription to The Book Collector.

Looking to build upon the success of the prize to date, the 2025 ABA National Book Collecting Prize welcomes applications from any young, aspiring, UK based collectors aged between 18-30. The collection may consist of books, ephemera, manuscripts or photographs, tied together by a clearly articulated guiding theme. What is important is that the collection is assembled and solely owned by the applicant. Size or monetary value of the collection will not be a factor during the judging process. Instead, we are looking for originality, creativity and true passion!

How to enter

Your entry should be no more than 750 words, setting out when and why you started collecting, its’ theme and inspiration, any selection criteria, particular highlights, and ideas for future purchases and expansion. A bibliographical list of the collection, as well as photographs, may be included, but are optional. The submission (including optional material) should not exceed four (4) pages. Please include full contact information: name, e-mail address, and telephone number.

From this application process, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to talk about their collection to the judges via zoom. After all the presentations, the judges will make their decision and the prize will be awarded at their discretion.

ENTER NOW

If you prefer to download an entry form, you can do so here.
Please submit this form and all entry materials, by the deadline, to: ababookprize@gmail.com with the subject line ‘ABA BOOK COLLECTING PRIZE ENTRY’.

Terms:

1. You must be developing a collection of at least 10 books and printed material around a central theme.

2. The collection must be assembled and solely owned by the entrant.

3. The competition is open to anyone resident in the UK, aged between 18-30 on 31st December 2025. Applicants do not need to be enrolled in a degree programme, though student entries will of course be welcome.

4. The closing date for entries is 1st October 2025.

5. The prize of £500 will be awarded at the Chelsea Book Fair on Friday October 31st 2025. Further cash prizes may be awarded to runners-up at the judges’ discretion.

7. The prize will be awarded at the judges’ discretion and the decision will be final

8. The judges reserve the right not to consider any application submitted after the closing date and any application which is incomplete

9. By submitting entry materials, the entrant agrees that the ABA may reproduce any party of the entry materials in connection with the prize or future prizes in any form it considers appropriate.

Previous ABA National Book Collecting Prize winners