The Sefika Awards 2016

The South African Booksellers Association would like to congratulate all of the winning publishers and booksellers who took home awards from the annual Sefika Awards dinner tonight. The evening gala event, sponsored by Novus Holdings, Imperial Sasfin Logistics, Geodis Wilson and Sapnet is arranged to thank and celebrate both booksellers and publishers for the roles they play in promoting literacy and a culture of reading by producing and selling quality books in South Africa.

Bookseller Awards

Best Academic: Van Schaik Bookstore
Best Education: Boeke 24/7
Best Trade (Chain Stores): Exclusive Books
Best Trade (Independent): The Book Lounge
Library Supplier: Caxton Books

Publisher Awards

Trade Publisher: Penguin Random House
Academic Publisher: Juta & Company
Education (Large): Pearson Education SA
Education (Small): Berlut Books

Legends Awards

A new category, sponsored by Exclusive Books was profiled on this evening and this was presented to four legends in the bookselling trade, people who have dedicated their lives to selling books and to supporting everyone in the trade to do so successfully. Benjamin Trisk, the erudite MD of Exclusive Books regaled the audience with tales of yore before calling up Maureen Hargraves of Hargraves Library Suppliers, Henrietta Dax of Clarkes Bookshop, Fleur Mcfarlane of Exclusive Books and Peter Adams of Adams Books. All true legends in the trade.

Nielsen Booksellers Choice Awards

The final award for the evening, the Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award is bestowed upon a local author for a South African published book that booksellers most enjoyed selling or that sold so well that it made a difference to the bottom line of booksellers across the country. This is a very special award and the industry as a whole celebrated a shining new novelist, Sally Andrews, for her book Recipes for Love and Murder: A Tannie Maria Mystery. A diverting read, published by the best Trade Publisher of the year 2016: Random House South Africa.

The awards evening forms part of the SA Booksellers Association and PASA’s joined AGM which will continue today.