Voting will be held across 5 categories: fiction, children's literature, business literature, non-fiction, and a book in any genre written by a blogger. More than a dozen large and small independent Russian publishers are taking part in the competition after putting forward book nominees in each category. The winners will be announced on 10 November.
The total prize fund of the award is RUB 5 million. The winning publisher in each category will receive RUB 1 million to develop their presence on the site. Readers who took part in the vote will also receive a discount on book purchases. The first voting participant to guess the winners across all five nominations will receive RUB 10,000 to spend on books on Ozon.
Anna Karpova, Director of Business Development at Ozon, commented:
“Ozon’s story began with the book business — reading has always been a favorite pastime for Russians, and we have always met the growing demand among users for a variety of literature. This was especially important during the self-isolation period, when there was even more free time for reading. Now, Ozon not only provides readers with access to a wide range of books but also helps their publishers. Initiatives like the Ozon book award are especially important now, when many publishers are working in difficult economic conditions due to the pandemic.”