The 2026 IPA Prix Voltaire Shortlist is:

  1. Dar Al Jundi Publishing, Samir Al Jundi, Palestine
  2. El Maraya, Yehia Fekry, Egypt
  3. Freedom Letters, Georgy Urushadze, Russia
  4. Gantala Press, Faye Cura, Philippines
  5. KompasGuide, Vitali Ziusko, Russia
  6. Sam Yan Press, Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, Thailand

IPA President Gvantsa Jobava said: Over the last 20 years we have recognised bravery in publishing. The Prix Voltaire laureates and those shortlisted for the prize, have risked so much to publish the works of others and secure their freedom of expression in practice. They have faced exile, prison, harassment and intimidation, some have disappeared, some have been murdered. They risk all this to publish the writings of other people. To mark this 20th Anniversary of the Prix Voltaire we decided to add that as a tagline: ‘Bravery in Publishing’. Our twenty years of laureates, and our shortlist this year are indeed the bravest among us.

Chair of the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee Jessica Sänger paid tribute to previous laureates adding: This year we had another record year of nominations. This is of course saddening in one respect : so many publishers in so much danger. But it is also inspiring to see their bravery, to read about publishers who know the risks but are prepared to face them in order to bring books to readers.

The 2026 Prix Voltaire ceremony will take place at the 35th International Publishers Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 5-9 July 2026. The Prix Voltaire is unique in honouring the freedom to publish, without which many forms of freedom of expression would be impossible. Publishers who provide authors with the tools to disseminate their written ideas assume the same risks as the writers themselves. The honour, which comes with a CHF 10,000 prize, is made possible by generous contributions from sponsors, all of which are publishing houses and organisations that share the values that the IPA Prix Voltaire embodies.

An introduction to the Prix Voltaire Shortlist nominees can be found below. Photos and logos of publishers can be found in the media pack.

 

Dar Al Jundi Publishing, Palestine

Founded in March 2011 to support Palestinian and Jerusalemite writers, Dar Al-Jundi is the only Palestinian Arab publishing house officially licensed in Jerusalem. Operating under structural, administrative, and political constraints affecting freedom of movement and cultural activity, the publishing house defends the freedom to publish by releasing a range of politically sensitive and academically significant works.

Yehya Fekry, El Maraya, Egypt

Yehya Fekry co-founded El Maraya for Arts & Culture in Cairo in 2016. With over 250 titles showing their independent editorial stance, they have been exposed to institutional pressures, including exclusion from the Cairo International Book Fair in 2025 and 2026. Their headquarters have been raided five times between 2018 and 2024 with staff arrested and all copies of certain books seized and the house banned from republishing them.

Gantala Press, Philippines

Gantala Press was formed in 2015 to tackle the lack of women’s representation in literary and book production. A member of Publishers for Palestine and the International Alliance of Independent Publishers, Gantala has spoken on dissent, censorship and freedom to publish. Amid state-enforced silencing of human rights defenders, Gantala consistently publishes works by activists.

Sam Yan Press, Thailand

This independent, student-run publishing house was founded in 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand, by Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal and other students at Chulalongkorn University. Sam Yan Press publishes diverse views, considering itself as infrastructure that enables others to participate in public intellectual life and spreading works of global dissidents in Thai.

Georgy Urushadze, Freedom Letters, Russia (exiled in the UK)

Georgy Urushadze is a publisher, producer, and journalist. Founder of the house Palmira in 2002, Urushadze has gone from being an important figure in the Russian literary scene to being declared a ‘foreign agent’. In early 2023, Urushadze founded Freedom Letters. Despite website blocks and book bans, Freedom Letters uses various channels to circumvent censorship and deliver books to Russia.

Vitali Ziusko, KompasGuide, Russia 

Vitali Ziusko founded KompasGuide Publishing in 2008. Both have been targeted by propagandists because of anti-war postures and their stance against discrimination, particularly based on sexuality and gender. Regularly under pressure, KompasGuide’s participation in book fairs and other literary events has been blocked. Following a lawsuit to defend the freedom of writers and publishers, won in first instance and overturned on appeal, Ziusko advocates for censorship-free Russian literature.