Media release

2025 IFLA PressReader International Marketing Award

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), in collaboration with PressReader, is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 IFLA PressReader International Marketing Award. This award celebrates exceptional library marketing campaigns that showcase innovation, impact, and community engagement. This year, we were thrilled to receive almost 100 outstanding and diverse submissions from around the world.

Our top three finalists were chosen for their outstanding and innovative contributions to library marketing. First place receives €3,500, second €2,500, and third €2,000 to support their attendance at the 2025 World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Award also honours the top 10 submissions with certificates of recognition and a Premium PressReader account. The winners are invited to showcase their best practices in marketing at an award ceremony at WLIC. This represents an extraordinary opportunity for libraries around the world to shine a spotlight on their achievements and share valuable insights.

Award winners

The 2025 winners are:

  • 1st Place – Worcester Public Library (United States of America) for “March Meowness”: €3,500
  • 2nd Place – Beijing Library, Capital Library of China (China) for “Reading Garden”: €2,500
  • 3rd Place – Ningbo Library (China) for “Listen to the Sound of Books”: €2,000

This year’s first prize is awarded to Worcester Public Library for their heartwarming campaign, “March Meowness”.Worcester Public Library in Worcester, Massachusetts, has succeeded in creating a phenomenon with its innovative marketing concept of accepting cat pictures as payment for overdue fines. Because of their creativity, they managed to overcome barriers and promoted library services while being truly entertaining. This is a wonderful campaign with a clear rationale, impact statement and assessment. The Jury selected this campaign because it demonstrated that high impact does not necessarily require a significant financial investment, but creativity. Its simplicity made the campaign effective.

1st Place – Worcester Public Library (United States of America) for “March Meowness”.

Second place goes to Beijing Library, Capital Library of China (China) for “Reading Garden.” Reading Garden effectively bridges the gap between reading and the digital space, creating an engaging and interactive journey that fosters lifelong reading habits. With a well-balanced mix of online tracking, an app, and an inspiring garden wall in the library, it successfully encourages both individual and shared reading experiences. The Jury especially liked how parental reading habits contribute to children’s enthusiasm for books. The impressive results, including increased reading engagement and extensive media coverage, demonstrate the project’s impact and strong execution. 

Third place is awarded to Ningbo Library (China) for “Listen to the Sound of Books.” The Jury selected the Listen to the Sound of Books project because of its outstanding commitment to accessibility, innovation, and cultural communication. By broadening access to books through audiobooks, the initiative allows more people to enjoy reading through listening, enhancing the versatility of reading experiences. The establishment of a specialized audiobook channel on Ximalaya, a renowned Chinese platform, has made it easier for a wider audience to access these resources. The seamless user experience, enabled by QR code scanning and instant listening, removes barriers and increases engagement. With over 2,200 visually impaired readers participating—75% of whom were new to the library—the initiative successfully expanded the library’s reach.

“This year’s winners exemplify the power of library marketing to connect, inspire, and transform,” said Carmen Eastman, Jury Chair. “Their campaigns demonstrate how bold ideas, audience insights, and a clear strategy can elevate the role of libraries in people’s lives and strengthen the fabric of their communities.”

“As long-time supporters of the 2025 IFLA PressReader Marketing Awards, we’ve had the privilege of seeing a wide range of creative and innovative campaigns. This year is no exception, with the winning campaigns showing just how engaging and community-centered library marketing can be. Congratulations to all the winners – you’re setting high standards for how libraries connect with their communities.”

– James Fairbotham, Director of Libraries, PressReader

Along with the top three winners, the next seven organizations and their campaigns (in alphabetical order) are recognized for their successful approaches to library marketing:

  • Anji County Library (China) for “Rural Library: Reading in the Heart of Nature”
  • Western Libraries (Canada) for “Western Libraries Ambassadors”
  • Municipal State Cultural Institution (Russian Federation) for “Book Wagon”
  • National Library Board (Singapore) for “Book Bugs: Tales of Travellers”
  • National University of Singapore Libraries (Singapore) for “Temasek Foundation – National University of Singapore Heritage Champions (TF-NUS Heritage Champions)”
  • Pikes Peak Library District (United States of America) for “You Belong Library Card Sign-up Month Campaign”
  • Shanghai Library East (China) for “Unlocking Young Minds: How Animation Transforms Reading into Adventure”
 Special Mentions

The 2025 IFLA PressReader International Marketing Award Jury also recognized five special mentions. Although these campaigns did not place in the top 10, the Jury was very impressed and chose to highlight the following as examples of great library marketing:

  • Bibliotheek Utrecht (Netherlands) for “Opinions (Meningen)”
  • Cape Peninsula University of Technology (South Africa) “Building connection: CPUT libraries TikTok growth campaign”
  • Nanjing Public Library (China) for “Taste of Time: From Pages to Plates”
  • Shanghai Children’s Library (China) for “Echoes of Parent-Child Reading”
  • vzw Het Portaal (ARhus) (Belgium) for “10 jaar ARhus (10 years of ARhus): Bib bib hoera!”
Award Ceremony at WLIC

We are excited to invite the winners to present their campaigns during the official Award Ceremony, hosted by IFLA President-elect Leslie Weir:

  • Date: Wednesday, 20 August 2025
  • Time: 13:30–14:45
  • Location: Main Stage, WLIC, Astana

More details about the session and logistics will be shared with the IFLA community in the coming weeks.

About the IFLA PressReader International Marketing Award

Members of the IFLA PressReader International Marketing Award Jury are drawn from the membership of the IFLA Standing Committee on Management & Marketing. The Jury consists of library management and marketing experts Harriet Darcel (United Kingdom), Carmen Eastman (Australia), Fan Ji (China), Cathelijne Kuiters (Netherlands), Joe Mocnik (United States of America), Romeo Muvhulawa Matumba (South Africa) and Elena Stöhr (Germany). All Jury members had equal say and voice in the deliberations.

Headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) is the global voice of libraries, representing the interests of the profession and working to improve services worldwide. With a member base from around 150 countries in all regions, IFLA’s mission is to inspire, engage, enable and connect the global library field.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact members of the IFLA Management & Marketing Section Award Jury:

Fan Ji – [email protected]
Joe Mocnik – [email protected]

 About PressReader

PressReader is on a mission to enrich and empower curious minds by bringing a universe of quality content within reach. The company builds technology solutions for digital content delivery and consumption, publisher empowerment, content intelligence and brand engagement.

Since 1999, PressReader has pioneered the digital content aggregation and distribution models. Today, PressReader partners with 1,500 of the world’s top publishers to bring over 7,000 newspapers and magazines, in more than 60 languages, to audiences in every corner of the globe. Through partnerships with thousands of libraries and businesses across 150+ countries, PressReader delivers information, entertainment and fresh perspectives to audiences in homes, libraries, hotels, airplanes and lounges, cruise ships, waiting rooms and more.

For more information contact [email protected]

 

Press release (.pdf)