ABA National Book Collecting Prize 2026
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association has expanded its national student book collecting competition to make it open to all young book collectors aged between 18-35.
Entrants will compete for the top prize of £500 and have their collection exhibited at the Firsts London Book fair at the Saatchi Gallery, as well as complimentary Friends of the ABA membership for a year and a year's online subscription to The Book Collector. Last year's winner was Callum White with his collection Splitting the world: The atomic scientists and their second acts.
The 2026 prize welcomes applications from any young UK-based collectors aged between 18-35 whose collection consists of books, ephemera, manuscripts or photographs, with a clear theme, and has been assembled and solely owned by the applicant (at least 10 books or items of printed material). Size or monetary value of the collection is not be a factor during the judging process. Rather, the judges will be looking for originality, creativity and passion.
Entries should be less than 750 words, covering when and why the collection was started, its theme and inspiration, selection criteria, highlights, and ideas for expansion. A bibliographical list of the collection, as well as photographs, is optional but the submission should not exceed four pages. A shortlist of candidates will then be drawn up who will be invited to talk about their collection to the judges via zoom.
Deadline for all entries is June 30.
