Jessica Sänger, the new Chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee said: Over twenty years we have celebrated some of the bravest publishers in the world who serve as an inspiration to us all. They have taken great personal risks to bring the voices of authors to their readers. We need that bravery, and that inspiration, now more than ever as the freedom to publish is increasingly challenged around the world.

Freedom to publish is one of the founding principles of the IPA. Its protection and promotion is one of IPA’s key objectives. In many countries, publishers who provide authors with the means to disseminate their written ideas run the same risks as the writers themselves. Their work requires immense courage and a values-based, altruistic commitment. The Freedom to Publish is far from guaranteed around the world, with daily attempts by governments, extremists or private interests to intimidate, attack, imprison and even kill publishers.

In 2025 the Prix Voltaire was awarded jointly to two exiled Belarusian publishers, Nadia Kandrusevich (Koska, exiled in Poland) and Dmitri Strotsev (Hochroth Minsk, exiled in Germany). 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the prize, originally created in 2006 as the IPA Freedom to Publish Prize, and renamed the IPA Prix Voltaire in 2016. A number of past laureates will speak at the 35th International Publishers Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Previous prize recipients include Samir Mansour (Palestine, 2024), Mazin Lateef Ali (Iraq, 2023), SameSky Publishing (Thailand, 2022), Lebanese publishing house Dar Al Jadeed (2021), Vietnamese publishing house Liberal Publishing House (2020), Egyptian publisher Khaled Lotfy (2019), Swedish Hong Kong publisher Gui Minhai (2018),Turkish publisher Turhan Günay and publishing house Evrensel (2017), Saudi blogger Raif Badawi (2016) and Belarusian publisher Ihar Lohvinau (2014).

Who nominates whom?

Any individual, group or organization can nominate a publisher, defined as an individual, collective or organization that provides others with the means to share their ideas in written form, including via digital platforms. Nominees will have recently published controversial works amid pressure, threats, intimidation or harassment. Alternatively, they may be publishers with a distinguished record over many years of upholding the freedom to publish and freedom of expression.

Nominations can be submitted using the online form or by email by sending a completed nomination  form (online form or download) to the IPA at prix-voltaire@internationalpublishers.org

Key dates

The closing date for nominations is 22 February 2026, after which the nine publishing professionals that make up the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee will identify a longlist before agreeing on a shortlist and selecting the 2026 laureate. The 2026 IPA Prix Voltaire ceremony will take place at the 35th International Publishers Congress on 6 July 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

What’s the prize?

The recipient will receive 10,000 Swiss francs funded by a range of generous sponsors:

To find out how you or your organization can support the IPA Prix Voltaire (brochure available in English and French) , please contact prix-voltaire@internationalpublishers.org