Gintong Aklat Awards honors outstanding Filipino book publishers

"We need to show that reading is cool, that authors are hip."

These are the words of the chair of the National Book Development Board (NBDB) Flor Marie Sta. Romana-Cruz during the Gintong Aklat Awards 2014 at the SMX Convention Center on Wednesday.

She also called on publishers to make books more accessible to the public, and stressed that marketing is key to achieve this.

The awards organization, which was established in 1981, recognized the notable book publishers in the country based on the quality of books they produced every other year. It is spearheaded by the Book Development Association of the Philippines, Inc. (BDAP) with NBDB's cooperation.

There were 15 judges who decided the golden books: Cora Alvina; Amy Besa; Ruel de Vera; Alya Honasan; Fernando Magallanes; Alex Magno; Sister Mary John Mananzan, OSB; Malou Nicolas, PhD; Carmencita David-Padilla, MD; Elena Pernia, PhD; Danton Remoto, PhD; Jun Cruz Reyes, PhD, Beth Romualdez, Benilda Santos, PhD; and Ramon Villegas. They were headed by Teresa Maria Custodio.

Design and content are the two main general criteria when deciding the awardees.

Under design, the judges checked the functionality and creativity as well as the physical execution and finish of the book. In other words, the books were judged based on their covers. The technical aspect such as the overall typography was also considered. Gintong Aklat Awards gives a special award for book design.

The award has seven major categories: Literature in Filipino, Literature in English, Arts and Culture, Food, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Inspiration and Self-help. There were specific criteria for each category, but all were also judged based on their readability.

For the Literature in Filipino and Literature in English categories—which both have two winners this year—the judges also considered the impact of the books on the formation of national literature. Contribution to the field of study as well as the accuracy of content and depth of research were checked for the books under Arts and Culture, Food, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Finally, for the Inspiration and Self-help books, inherent lessons and relevance to human experience are the deciding factors.

Among all the 345 entries, the winning works are as follows:
Special Award for Book Design
"Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine" by Glenda Barretto, Conrad Calalang, Margarita Fores, Myrna Segismundo, Jessie Sincioco, and Claude Tayag
Anvil Publishing, Inc.

Literature in Filipino
"Ang Makina ni Mang Turing" by Ramon Guillermo
The University of the Philippines Press

"Canticos: Apat na Boses" by K.S. Cordero
University of Santo Tomas Publishing House

Literature in English
"Trafficking in Nostalgia: Essays from memory" by Exie Abola
Ateneo de Manila University Press

"The Saints of Streets" by Luisa A. Igloria
University of Santo Tomas Publishing House

Food
"Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine" by Glenda Barretto, Conrad Calalang, Margarita Fores, Myrna Segismundo, Jessie Sincioco, and Claude Tayag
Anvil Publishing, Inc.

Arts and Culture
"Song of the Babaylan" by Grace Nono
Institute of Spirituality in Asia

Social Sciences
"A History of the University of Santo Tomas: Four Centuries of Higher Education in the Philippines (1611-2011)" by Fidel Villarroel
University of Santo Tomas Publishing House

Natural Sciences
"Shades of Majesty: 88 Philippine Native Trees" by Pastor Malabrigo Jr. and James LaFrankie Jr.
Project Brio Media and Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc.

Inspiration and Self-help
"Inner Blossoming: An Asian-Transpersonal Approach to Learning, Growth, and Healing" by Maria Lourdes Llaneza-Ramos
Ateneo de Manila University Press — BM, GMA News