After a five-year hiatus, the Crossword Book Award, one of India's oldest literary accolades, is back this year. This prize was created in 1998 with the goal of honouring and promoting Indian writing in English across a range of genres. The awards encourage Indian authors for their outstanding works and honour the best of Indian writing in English.

On March 18 of this year, the submissions for five categories—fiction, non-fiction, children's literature, translations, and business and management—opened. Entries for novels released in India between March 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024, were submitted by hundreds of publishers across.

A ₹50,000 cash reward will be given to the winners of the Popular Choice and Jury Awards. Additionally, ₹25,000 will be given to illustrators in the Children's category and translators in the Translations category, if eligible. The Jury chooses the winners of this esteemed award category. The novels are also up for reader voting, with the results becoming the Popular Choice Awards in addition to the Jury Awards.

The Jury for the 2019 Indian Book Awards includes a panel of literary experts from various backgrounds. The Fiction category includes Prayaag Akbar, Manjula Narayan, and Somak Ghoshal. The Non-Fiction category includes TCA Raghavan, Kaveree Bamzai, Anuradha Sengupta, Paro Anand, Bulbul Sharma, Parvati Sharma, Arshia Sattar, Nandini Nair, and Malashri Lal. The Translations category judges include Arshia Sattar, Nandini Nair, and Malashri Lal.

Aakash Gupta, CEO of Crossword Bookstores, stated, “As we bring back the Crossword Book Awards, we aim to celebrate the rich tapestry of Indian literature and honor the voices that shape our literary landscape. This event is not just about recognizing excellence; it’s also about inspiring future generations to explore the power of storytelling and the joy of reading.”

Fiction (Longlist)

Non-fiction (Longlist)

Translations (Longlist)

Children’s (Longlist)

Business and Management (Longlist)