Winners announced for the first edition
New Delhi, 18 December 2025: Penguin Random House India is proud to announce the launch of the Penguin Bookseller Excellence Award, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country by a publishing house that is designed to honour the individuals who are shaping the bookselling journey. This annual award has been established to recognise the passion, creativity, and commitment of booksellers who bring stories to life for readers every day.
The Penguin Bookseller Excellence Award is a recognition of exceptional talent and service in the book retail landscape. With this initiative, Penguin aims to spotlight these often-unsung champions who continually raise the bar for what bookselling can be. Unlike conventional awards, The Penguin Bookseller Excellence Award has been designed as a recognition-led process where booksellers are reviewed by an esteemed jury comprising leaders from the industry and from Penguin. This year, the jury had Gaurav Sabharwal from Prakash Books, Shalina Advani (IBD), and Aditi Kumar and Manoj Satti from Penguin, who evaluated the candidates on innovation, customer engagement, and contribution to the reading culture, among other metrics.
The winners were recognised across three categories: Star Curator Award, Bookstore Star Award, and Special Recognition Award, each honouring a distinct dimension of excellence within the world of bookselling. From exceptional curation and hands-on reader guidance to community-building initiatives and unique in-store experiences, these categories aimed to capture the full spectrum of the impact booksellers make.
Reflecting on this significant recognition, Manoj Satti, SVP- Sales, Marketing & Product, Penguin Random House India, said, ‘Booksellers are the crucial bridge between any publishing house and the reader. They are far more than retail partners: they are cultural custodians and vital advocates of reading. With the Penguin Bookseller Excellence Award, we want to shine a spotlight on their contribution and recognise the often-invisible labour that shapes the journey of every book. Through this recognition, we hope to inspire both current and future booksellers to continue championing stories and expanding opportunities for books, authors, and readers alike.’
With this, we are proud to announce this year’s winners:
| Sr. No. | Award category | Winner | Region |
| 1 | Star Curator | Sumit Basu from Starmark | Kolkata/ East India |
| 2 | Star Curator | Sumit Basu from Starmark | Kottayam/ South India |
| 3 | Star Curator | Eric Williams from BookScetra | Mumbai/ West India |
| 4 | Bookstore Star | Rahul Yadav from Apeejay Oxford Bookstores Pvt Ltd | Kolkata/ East India |
| 5 | Bookstore Star | Mithilesh Singh from Bahrisons Booksellers | Delhi/ North India |
| 6 | Bookstore Star | Deepak Pahadi from Kitabkhana | |
| 7 | Bookstore Star | Balram Singh from Off The Shelf | |
| 8 | Special Recognition Award | Anand Solanki from Solanki Bookseller | Pune/ West India |
About Penguin Random House India
Penguin Random House India is the country’s leading trade publisher, publishing over 450 new titles every year and managing a diverse backlist of more than 3,500 books. Our publishing spans literary and commercial fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books — from politics, history, memoir, and business to health, self-help, cookery, and culture.
We are home to some of India’s and the world’s most celebrated voices — including winners of the Nobel Prize, Booker Prize, Jnanpith Award, and Sahitya Akademi Award. Several of our authors have also been honoured with the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan, reflecting the influence of their work in literature and public life.
Penguin Random House India also serves as the exclusive distribution partner for several major international and local publishers, bringing books to readers across India and the subcontinent.
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