Dubai [UAE], The winners of the inaugural Publisher Excellence Awards, which celebrate women driving positive change in the international publishing industry, have been announced during a glittering ceremony at the 2024 Boulogne Children's Book Fair, from the announcement. Addressing the first awards ceremony, Boudou Al Qasimi, Founder of the publisher, paid tribute to the winners and runners-up and thanked the professional jury for their important contributions. She said, "The ground-breaking work showcased through the awards is truly heart-warming. It's a powerful testament to the impact women are making." I am publishing globally. To our winners, your contributions are leaving a lasting mark on this industry and your stories are inspiring us all, thank you for your participation and passion for the Publishing Excellence Awards, and please keep shining.The jury in charge of selecting the winners from 113 applicants included leading female figures in the international publishing industry, Emma House, Director of Orem Group, Arpita Das, Founder and Publisher of Yoda Press, LaToya West-Blackwood, Publishing and Communications, and others. After six months of careful deliberation, the jury selected the winner from among nine shortlisted finalists, and it was announced in Bologna that Anne Friebel is the publishing director. At Paloma Publishing, was the recipient of the Publisher Excellence Award in the Innovation category. Anne founded "The Female Publisher" network – a free-to-join digital platform that connects female publishers, program managers and decision makers within the German-speaking publishing market, encouraging discourse and exchange. Co-host of the “Die Bucher Unserer Zukunft” podcast (The Books of Our Future), Anne has demonstrated a commitment to the amplification of women's voices, industry practice, and approaches that address publishing's key challenges.Subsequently, Mitiya Usman, CEO and Publisher of Mayurpankhi and Executive Director of Agami Prakashani were declared recipients of the Emergin Leader Award. Demonstrating dedication and leadership in establishing her publishing house Mayurpankhi in Bangladesh, she is the first woman to establish a children's publishing house there. She is also recognized for her advocacy, both domestically and internationally, campaigning for greater gender diversity in publishing. Finally, Shirley Yvonne Carby, Chairperson of Carlong Publishers Caribbean Limited, was announced as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of her dynamic 45. -year publishing career.A pioneer in publishing in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, Shirley has strongly supported the training of writers and industry professionals and expanded the skills and knowledge of Caribbean societies throughout her career, while promoting literacy throughout the community. The event was part of a diverse publisher event. in Bologna, which included keynote speeches and daily panel discussions with big-hitting personalities from international publishing, and networking coffees at Publisher Stan each afternoon. The Publisher Excellence Awards shine a light on women who are improving publishing and paving the way for others to follow.They empower women publishers to aim high and help each other and raise awareness of the continuing challenges that many women still face in the publishing business (ANI/WAM)