 | | IPA President, Gvantsa Jobava, delivers her new year video message to IPA members and partners. | | | |  | Copyright Updates: AI Copyright cases in Korea, the UK, and the US Policy developments on copyright and artificial intelligence continue to be a top priority in 2026. Read more. | | |  | IPA launches call for nominations for 2026 IPA Prix Voltaire The Geneva-based International Publishers Association (IPA) today launches its call for nominations for the 2026 IPA Prix Voltaire for exemplary courage in upholding the Freedom to Publish and enabling others to exercise their freedom of expression. 2026 marks the twentieth anniversary of the prize. Read more. | | | | | More Freedom to Publish News | | IPA opens call for nominations for inaugural Freedom of Expression Defenders Award Publishers associations and publishers are invited to submit nominations to the IPA's new prize that aims to recognise people, companies, organisations or coalitions who are promoting the freedom of expression, the freedom to publish and the freedom to read - the trinity of freedoms. Nominations close on 31 March 2026. Read more. | | | Jessica Sänger to Chair IPA Freedom to Publish Committee Jessica Sänger (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, Germany) has been elected as the new chair of the International Publishers Association Freedom to Publish Committee. Sänger succeeds Kristenn Einarsson (Norway) who stepped down from the Committee after eight years as its chair. Read more. | | | IPA Joins Call for Stronger Protections Against SLAPPs in the UK The International Publishers Association has added its voice to calls for reform by signing a joint letter from the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition. The letter urges Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to take decisive action against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). Read more. | | | The Week of Freedom of Expression: What is true? The Week of Freedom of Expression will take place for the sixth time from May 3rd to 10th, 2026. Under the motto "What is true?", the nationwide week of action explores the tension between facts, opinions, and truthfulness. Read more. | | | | IPA's Educational Publishers Forum met in London On 19-20 January, the IPA's Educational Publishers Forum (EPF) met in London ahead of BETT – the educational technology trade show. Read more. | | | | IPA at Cairo International Book Fair IPA President, Gvantsa Jobava, and Secretary General, José Borghino participated in the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair. The pair spoke on panels covering AI, freedom to publish and accessibility and also held a number of meeting with IPA members in the Arab world. Read more. | | | | IPA at London Book Fair 2026 The International Publishers Association will be at London Book Fair holding committee meetings and participating in panel discussions. Read more. | | | 35th International Publishers Congress Updates | | What to Look Forward to at the 35th International Publishers Congress! With just a few months to go until IPA's 35th International Publishers Congress, taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 5-9 July 2026, we are excited to share a preview of what attendees can look forward to when visiting this dynamic host city. Read more. | | | Braille - More Than Just a Reading System Nicholas Hoekstra, ABC Program Management Consultant, writes of the importance of braille to his life on the occasion of World Braille Day and the launch of the ICEVI – WBU Global Braille Literacy Campaign. Read more. | | | Is reading books a winner in the attention war? Is reading really losing the attention war, or have we been measuring the wrong kind of attention all along? In an economy obsessed with clicks, reach, and time spent, books are often dismissed as slow, demanding, and uncompetitive. Yet recent research on the quality -not just the volume- of attention suggests a different conclusion: that reading may possess structural advantages uniquely suited to a fragmented media landscape. Read more. | | | International Day of Education – Youth, AI, Collaboration This year's International Day of Education was focussed on youth. UNESCO and OECD held events during the preceding week, and the IPA's Educational Publishers Forum also met. Read more. | | | The opening of nominations for the IPA Prix Voltaire 2026 was covered by Publishnews and Polska Izba Książki, both highlighting the award's role in recognising courage in the defence of freedom to publish and freedom of expression.
The announcement of the nominations for the Freedom of Expression Defenders Award (FEDA) was covered by Books+Publishing and Publishing Perspectives, with the latter emphasising FEDA's important complementary role to the IPA Prix Voltaire.
The election of Jessica Sänger as the new Chair of the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee was reported by The Bookseller, Börsenblatt, Actualité, Giornale della Libreria, Publisnews, and Publishing Perspectives.
The participation of the IPA President and Secretary General in the 57th Cairo International Book Fair was reported by Egypt Today, Sada News Agency, and the Egyptian State Information Service.
The collaboration between the UN's SDG Publishers Compact and IPA to improve sustainability practices in book publishing was highlighted by Impakter.
The inauguration of the new council of the Ghana Publishers Association and its global integration through international bodies such as IPA was reported by JoyOnline. | | | February
22 Jan - 3 Feb: Kolkata Book Fair, India
4 Feb - 8 Feb: 39th Lahore International Book Fair, Pakistan
See our full book fair listing on our site here. | | | | |
