All the winners of the 2026 Bookworm Award

BarcelonaThe booksellers of Catalonia have decided. For the guild, Sau (Males Herbes), by Ferran Garcia, is the best work of Catalan literature of 2025, and Cop de llum (La Segona Perifèria / Sexto Piso), by Rita Bullwinkel, is the best title in the category of other literatures. The booksellers have also chosen Cartes imprevistes (Animallibres), by Tina Vallès and Mercè Galí, as the best book of children's and young adult literature in Catalan and El gegant de ferro (Blackie Books), by Ted Hughes, as the best work of children's and young adult literature from other literatures. The award for illustrated album has been for El racó de pensar (Litera), by Pieter van den Heuvel, and for essay, thought and other narratives, La passió dels estranys (Galaxia Gutenberg), by Marina Garcés.

The 27th edition of the Premi Llibreter has counted with the votes of a hundred affiliated bookstores from all over the country. "It is a consolidated recognition that works very well. It has a special link with booksellers' recommendations. It has no prize money, but the awarded titles gain a new life after the award, which forces us to recognize the good work of the entire book world chain," stated the president of the Gremi de Llibreries de Catalunya, Èric del Arco. In the same vein, Ferran Garcia highlighted the "temporal dissidence" of the award in a world "where anything that is three days old has already expired." The writer of this novel about forbidden loves during the slave era in Catalonia said he feels "like a child" in front of the award. "It's as if someone had knocked on the door and given me the most beautiful cake, even though it's not my birthday today," celebrated Garcia.

From San Francisco, Rita Bullwinkel has sent thanks to her editors and, especially, to booksellers. "I am convinced that you are the clergy of literature. There is no one who knows and understands the power of the written word better than you," the writer said in a video. Bullwinkel's story gives a new perspective to the sport of boxing through a choral story starring adolescent girls. "To think that my little book has traveled so far from San Francisco to Catalonia and has been received with open arms goes beyond my dreams," Bullwinkel emphasized. Marina Garcés also praised the role of bookstores and defined them "as places of friendship with that which calls us to live something more than our individual lives." The author of La passió dels estranys has claimed "essay also as a way of narrating" and has celebrated the creation of the essay, thought, and other narratives category within themarès, to which it was incorporated in 2024.

Obsessions and imagination

The epistolary book Cartes imprevistes has received, over the past year, numerous accolades, such as the Premi Crítica Serra d'Or and the Premi de la Crítica dels Escriptors Valencians. With Llibreter, it adds a new award, which its authors have celebrated with enthusiasm. "It is one of the books I have enjoyed writing the most. It contains two of my obsessions: epistolary novels and objects," explained Vallès, and Galí added that "it is an honor to illustrate good literature." The winner in the category of best children's and young adult work in other literatures, El gegant de ferro, also has a personal component from its illustrator, Chris Mould. "I discovered this story in the school library when I was little. I have been very lucky to revisit it and be able to illustrate it with my imagination," Mould highlighted through a video. The author of El racó de pensar, best illustrated album, Pieter van den Heuvel, underlined that this edition "has been the first of the book in another language" and celebrated "that it has been given such a beautiful home in Catalan."

The award ceremony will take place this Wednesday evening at Sala Paral·lel 62. During the ceremony, the careers of booksellers Irene Tortós-Sala from L'Altell de Banyoles and Araceli Clares from Llibreria Hispano Americana de Barcelona will be recognized for their 35 years in the profession.